


Two-Pack II: Teen Wolf Season Four

by lordtrayus



Series: Two-Pack [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Original Fiction, Scisaac - Freeform, Season/Series 04, Shirtless, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-06 04:35:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 311,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1844578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordtrayus/pseuds/lordtrayus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Nogitsune is gone, Scott and Isaac are back together, and Stiles has gone back to normal. But, rather than deal with the grief of losing Allison, Scott's pack has to contend with Derek's imprisonment, former foes of the twins trying to settle scores, and taming Malia. But worst of all is a new enemy coming to town, bringing with them an old friend who could destroy them all...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Season Synopsis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A synopsis and episode guide for the entire season

Two-Pack Season Two Synopsis

 

**Still recovering from the battle with the evil Nogitsune and the shocking loss of Allison, Scott’s pack has grown into its role as the defender of Beacon Hills. Still haunted by Allison’s death however, the pack is vulnerable to a new enemy, someone as twisted and malevolent as all of their former foes, who has the one thing none of them had, an ally who knows the pack very well. As new foes gather around the pack and the malevolent energy of the Ghost Pack puts the pack on the defensive, Scott must prove to his pack, and more importantly to himself, that he is worthy of being a True Alpha.**

**Episode 1- Territory:**

The pack grow into their role, lacrosse tryouts occupy the pack, Scott’s grandmother comes for a visit and malevolent new enemies make their way to Beacon Hills

**Episode 2- Silence:**

An old friend reappears in the most unexpected way, a new mentor has arrived for one of the pack, and the Ghost Pack make their first move

**Episode 3- Revenant:**

The past has a terrible effect on the pack’s present, the Ghost Pack make a bold move, and Liam and his friends are caught in a crossfire

**Episode 4- Fraternity:**

The McCall house hosts a very unexpected guest, Peter begins to creep into the head of Lydia and Malia, and the corruption of the nemeton starts to take its toll

**Episode 5- Maternity:**

Lydia endures her first test, Derek tries to clear his name and the Callavera clan make their presence known to the town as events start to spiral out of control

**Episode 6- Alliance:**

The pack learn some painful realities about the world that they live in, a secret is revealed and a final enemy comes for vengeance

**Episode 7- Grim:**

Stiles sense of isolation leads him to make a fateful decision, tensions begin to affect the pack and Ifrit enacts his revenge

**Episode 8- Corruption:**

The Pombero ups her game in sheer frustration, Stiles finds solace in his new friends, and Agravaine demonstrates the true extent of his evil

**Episode 9- Echo:**

Hollis becomes steadily more desperate, Lydia proves her worth and the pack changes forever as secrets are exposed

**Episode 10- Alliance:**

The pack tries to cope with the unexpected revelation, Peter’s plan moves into the final stages and the adults of the pack fight their own battle

**Episode 11- Raptor:**

The fallout of the showdown shakes the entire pack to its very core, Bonnie makes a decision that will affect everyone’s futures and the Callavera clan prepares to end the supernatural in Beacon Hills once and for all

**Episode 12- Wildfire:**

A beleaguered pack heads for the final confrontation, Martagh and her allies challenge Agravaine’s corruption and a bitter feud comes to a bloody end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'd thought I probably should have put this at the beginning which is where I'm hoping this will go


	2. Opening Credits and Cast List

Opening Credits

 

A black background, flashing orange before showing a dark brown wolf with shining red eyes and then a closeup of Scott’s eye, starting brown and then turning Alpha red

 

 **Tyler Posey** : steps out of a blazing red fire, claws extended with a spiral of red flame swirling around each arm, eyes red as he stands legs slightly apart

 

 **Dylan O’Brien** : materialises out of a royal blue fire, a black Oni sword in his right hand and a metal gauntlet on his left, looking angry while his jeep burns with royal blue flame in the background

 

Razor sharp black feathers fall towards a burning yellow flame

 

 **Daniel Sharman** : kisses Scott and somersaults out of a swirl of white fire, landing on the ground, claws extending from the hand hes leaning on and a ring dagger in his other outstretched arm

 

The dark brown wolf roars into the air angrily as fire licks at it and feathers descend around it

 

 **Tyler Hoechlin** : shirtless, turning and roaring with sweat flying off him as white flames lick at his body

 

 **Holland Roden** : gesturing with one hand while she screams, a cascade of royal blue fire falling around her and parting around her and the flames coalesce into blue fingers that clutch at her

 

A pane of glass shatters and the cracks splinter out like a spider web, all burning a sickly yellow flame

 

 **Arden Cho** : one hand raised to protect her chest while the other wields her sword, which she has pointed in a ninja pose over her head, red fire engulfing the blade while jets of crimson fire shoot up and surround her

 

Derek’s treskalion tattoo is formed from a sizzling red fire on his back, Scott’s double ring tattoo is formed by a stream of royal blue fire arcing around his arm and another tattoo, this time two lightning bolts together is formed by white fire licking around the skin

 

A pair of sickly yellow eyes then burn through the smoke with poisonous green flames igniting beneath them

 

Scott’s entire face is shown with his eyes going red

 

Teen Wolf in white with a burning poisonous looking flame raging behind it and licking at the letters

 

 

Teen Wolf Season Four Cast

 

**Scott’s Pack**

Scott- Tyler Posey

Stiles- Dylan O’Brien

Isaac- Daniel Sharman

Lydia- Holland Roden

Kira- Arden Cho

Aiden- Max Carver

Ethan- Charlie Carver

Danny- Keahu Kahuanui

Derek- Tyler Hoechlin

Malia- Shelley Hennig

**Pack Adults**

Melissa- Melissa Ponzio

John Stillinski- Linden Ashby

Kyle Parrish- Ryan Kelley

Alan Deaton- Seth Gilliam

Braeden- Meagan Tandy

Chris Argent- JR Bourne

Martagh- Marta Ciesielska

 

**Special Guest Stars**

Jackson- Colton Haynes

?- Nathaniel Buzolic

Rakaisha- Angel Coulby

Allegra Delgado- Mary McDonnell

Alastair- Colin Salmon

Cindy- Gillian Anderson

**New Students**

Melody- Alexa Vega

Liam- Dylan Sprayberry

Garrett- Mason Dye

Mason- Khylin Rhambo

Violet- Ana Mulvoy Ten

**Enemies**

Peter Hale- Ian Bohen

Agravaine- Aneurin Barnard

Malakai- Miles Teller

Rhyley- Ansel Elgort

Eoghan- Will Mellor

Ciara- Janet Montgomery

Bonnie- Lindsay Duncan

Thane- Tom Hopper

Thomas Hollis- Aiden Turner

The Pombero- Charisma Carpenter

Ifrit- Oded Fehr

** Recurring Cast- Beacon Hills Students **

Caleb- Freddie Stroma

Adam- Brenton Thwaites

Levi- Chase Ellison

Danielle- Shantal Rhodes

Scarlett- Maia Mitchell

Diane- Ariana Grande

Emily- Bella Thorne

 

** Recurring Cast- Other Students **

Brett- Cody Saintgnue

Jake- Austin James

Killian- Liam James

Belle- Stefanie Scott

 

** Recurring Cast- Adults **

Caitlin- Zelda Williams

Mrs Yukimura- Tamlyn Tomita

Dexio- Luke Pasqalino

Clyde- Patton Oswalt

Charles- Ron Glass

Opal- Ruth Negga

 

** Recurring Cast- Beacon High **

Mrs Martin- Susan Walters

Coach Finstock- Orny Adams

Mr Yukimura- Tom Choi

Ms Morrell- Bianca Lawson

** Recurring Cast- Sheriff’s Department **

Deputy Sands- Will Tudor

Deputy Claris- Bex Taylor Klaus

Deputy Elba- TC Carson

 

** Recurring Cast- Hunters **

Natasha- Eliza Dushku

Gareth Sparsan- Eoin Macken

Amanda O’Neill- Cynthia Addai Robinson

Maggie Evans- Susanna Thompson


	3. Episode 1: Territory Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and his new and improved pack deal with intruders in the forest, Lydia continues to hurt Aiden and Derek is in a spot of bother

Two-Pack II

 

The moon was high in the sky, though mostly hidden by dark, stormy thunderclouds. Called the Dark Moon, the moon was currently at a point where it was the least visible in the sky, and was meant to signify a time of reflection and grief.

However, there was no time for reflection tonight, and the thudding sounds of many pairs of feet running around the woods were echoing through the entire reserve as the moon dappled the fallen leaves, the breath of all those within the forest that night visible in front of them. Silvery light occasionally washed over them as the noises of a forest rife with intruders echoed through the barren trees, the sounds of fallen leaves rising and falling with each footfall reaching the ears of the boy standing on top of an overlook, giving him an impressive view of the glittering town of Beacon Hills below him.

He was clad in a black long sleeved tshirt, jeans rippling in the wind as it whistled through the forest, a leather jacket wrapped around him as he stood, his tan skin cold in the night air. His hair, dark brown in colour, was styled with gel and combed to the side as opposed to his usual spiked fringe. The wind whistling through the wind did nothing to deter him as he scented and strained to get any sign of any of the intruders that were in the forest tonight. He stood on the overlook which had once meant so much to him, ears straining for any sound, and upon hearing the roar, his eyes opened revealing a glowing crimson.

“It’s another Alpha alright.” He said confidently, his eyes trailing to the guy standing beside him.

Slightly taller than he was, he was clad in a black vneck tshirt with black jeans, having come straight from work. He was also clad in a leather jacket, complete with a dark blue scarf that was wrapped snugly around his long neck, but unlike the Alpha beside him, he had a quiver on his back, filled with exploding arrows and arrows with silver tips. Pale in the moonlight, his dark blond hair swept away from his forehead to give him a quiff, he turned and looked at his boyfriend in concern.

“Yeah, but friend or foe?” he asked and Scott shrugged.

“Only one way to find out.” He replied as Isaac readied an arrow in the bow he had brought with him.

In the three months since Allison had died at the hands of the Oni, Isaac had been using the various weapons left to him by her father, figuring they ought to do the pack some good while he was away in France. As a result, to Scott’s delight (and slight arousal), Isaac had been practicing with these various weapons and had become more than proficient in handling a bow and arrow, though admittedly a smaller version than the one Allison could use, a crossbow, but his favourite weapon by far was the ring daggers that Allison had once stabbed him with several times, one of which was now in a pocket in the sleeve of his jacket and the other in the sock of his boot. Since Allison’s death and Chris’ departure for France, Isaac had been training with each of the weapons in turn, becoming a much more deadly force to be reckoned with than he had been previously.

While at first Scott had thought it would just be handy for Isaac to be able to protect himself (because between murderous Alphas, hunters, Nogitsunes, Oni and damaged electrical cabling, his boyfriend seemed to have a massive target painted on him wherever he went), in the past three months it had become rather a godsend. With the loss of Allison still playing heavily on all of them, they had been quite keen to take some time, to recover, rest, heal.

Fate however had had other ideas.

During the final battle with the Oni, one of the former twin Alpha werewolves, Aiden, had been run through by one of the demon soldiers and had died in his brother’s arms. Scott had felt the death of one of his pack, and in a display of power that none of them had thought possible, rallied the power of everyone in the pack and poured it into his mortally wounded Beta, flooding him with the energy he needed to keep breathing, and by some miracle, Scott had saved his life, and after a month in the hospital (to Aiden’s great disgust) he had been released, alive and well. However, according to Dr Deaton, the suspicious vet who also happened to be a Druid, by saving Aiden’s life and pouring so much energy into him to keep him alive, Scott had basically announced his presence to a world that, other than one other Alpha who was on the run, had no idea that he had even existed.

Now of course that had all changed.

The last three months had seen more werewolf packs pass through the town than Scott had ever thought possible, all of them coming to investigate the new Alpha in charge of Beacon Hills. Add that to the creatures that were brought here by the mysterious power of the nemeton and Beacon Hills was the site of some sort of supernatural get together on any given day of the week. While some of those creatures passing through, and some of the packs coming through, had been more than friendly, more often than not the newcomers to the town were out for one thing and one thing only: to challenge the power of the local Alpha and claim Beacon Hills for themselves.

As a result, the pack, which was now responsible for the protection of the town, had seen off many potential threats, sending many a pack and creature packing, while making friends and allies of others, and this Alpha and his pack which were running through the preserve tonight was just another example of one of the many joys that came from being the apex predator in a town like this one.

You had to protect your territory.

“Let’s go.” Scott ordered, but just before they descended into the woods proper, his phone rang.

“Scott, my little sniffer dog here tells me there’s more than one scent in the woods.” Stiles reported from the other end, and both Scott and Isaac grinned as they heard Malia berate Stiles for calling her that.

“What else do you smell Malia?” Scott asked worriedly.

Having lived as a wild coyote for the better part of eight years, Malia had had a difficult time readjusting to life in normal human society, and clearly emphasised a survival of the fittest approach to things. However, while being a coyote she was similar to a wolf at heart, and as such played an important role in the pack, and her help had been invaluable since the town had become the marshal point for every nosey creature from here to Seattle. As she knew these woods like the back of her hand, her nose also knew these woods like the back of her hand, and had the most discerning sense of smell in the entire pack, and due to her father living on a farm at the edge of the woods, she was also the closest on hand and could smell every new thing moving through the woods, just as she had tonight.

Scott had been doing pull-ups on his door frame while waiting for Isaac to return from work when Malia had called, informing him that there was another pack in the woods, resulting in Scott summoning the entire pack in order to intercept the pack that could even now be heading into town with the express intention of causing trouble. Scott, being the Alpha of the town, was less than inclined to let that happen.

There had been enough death.

“There’s more than that new pack coming through here, it kind of smells like the sheriff does when he comes home from work.” She explained, and Stiles made a quizzical noise at the other end.

“What, like fries that he thinks I don't know he eats?” he asked, making Scott and Isaac grin.

“No, like guns.” She said significantly, and Scott groaned.

“We knew that whatever took them all out hadn't gotten them all. How many are in an entire clan of hunters anyway?” Isaac demanded irritably, looking around darkly.

“Where are they headed?” Scott asked, ignoring Isaac’s question, because he really didn't know, but the answer was obviously too many.

They had also been chasing off parties of hunters for the last three months as well, including one group that had stormed the penthouse where the twins lived. They had been rather surprised when they had been ambushed in the lobby by a pack of pissed off werewolves and beaten into submission before a delighted sheriff had come to take them all to prison where they belonged.

“They’re heading deeper into the forest, but so is the pack I picked up on. Either way they’re moving away from the nemeton.” Malia reported and Scott frowned thoughtfully.

At least they were moving away from the evil tree stump that had caused them so many problems recently ever since Jennifer Blake had seen hit to grace the town with her presence.

“We’re on our way. Stiles...” Scott warned and he heard his best friend, his brother, sigh mutinously.

“I know, I know, stay back. I can look after myself you know.” He retorted bitterly, and Scott heard the sound of one of the Argent’s tazers powering up.

“I know you can dude, sue me for not wanting my best friend to get ripped apart by a pack of angry werewolves being chased by a pack of angrier hunters.” Scott told him curtly and hung up.

The two young werewolves took off through the trees, both of them ready for the slightest indication that they were getting closer to their quarry when as expected, Scott heard a roar echo across the forest, making him skid to a stop.

“Aiden.” He said significantly, throwing himself into a run in a slightly different direction.

“What are we going for the shepherd thing again?” Isaac asked curiously from behind him, and Scott grinned back at him.

“Hey, you were the one who said we should try it when Ethan suggested it.” He reminded him, and Isaac shrugged.

“Well yeah, it worked then, there weren’t any hunters chasing the pack we chased off then. And besides...it gets boring doing the same things all the time.” He said with a slight grin and Scott winked at him.

“How about I let you rough up a few hunters, that exciting enough for you?” he asked teasingly as Ethan gave a roar this time, and there was an associated roar from the Alpha the twins were pursuing.

The two wolves continued thundering through the forest and that was when they both heard it, the unmistakable sounds of machine guns being fired through the cold night air.

Panicking slightly and fearing the hunters had found one of his pack, Scott howled, seeking reassurance, receiving the appropriate number of responses in return but it did little to soothe him, if they could now hear the ammo being fired, that meant they were getting closer to them and the pack that they had come out after in the first place.

Isaac answered his ringing phone, eyes narrowed as he looked through the trees, trying to figure out where each of the rest of the pack was.

“What’s up?” he asked brusquely.

“The twins have the pack, but they’ve got the hunters right behind them, we just saw them. There’s six of them, all armed, machine guns by the looks of things, couple of crossbows and one guy has some sort of axe!” Danny explained, sounding less than impressed by the hunters choice of weapon and Isaac looked at Scott, who nodded grimly.

“Where are you two?” he asked.

“We’re moving up on them now, they’re faster than we are.” Lydia explained as she and Danny tore through the woods after them, and Scott winced as the pack they were looking for gave a frightened howl.

The twins were getting a little too close to them for his liking. Time to end this little hunting party.

“Where we herding them to?” Isaac asked, ready to bolt in that direction.

“The pack have just passed the stream that Malia affectionately named.” Danny responded, and Scott smirked, hearing the smile in his voice.

Malia, having no concept of keeping certain things to yourself, had called the stream running through the middle of the forest the ‘Stream where Stiles and I had sex’, and hence it had been named that ever since, despite Stiles protesting and after having berated Malia for telling the entire pack that.

“That means they’re heading to-” Scott began.

“Malia’s wreck site.” Isaac finished.

All they would find there is the perfect set up for an ambush, and a rather deadly kitsune.

Scott roared, throwing the sound, making it clear where the pack was to head, and he heard the associated howls of the rest of his pack as he and Isaac stormed towards the ambush site, ready for a fight with both hunters and the opposing pack.

The older man, the Alpha of the pack, gasped weakly as they ran through the woods, the hunters hot on their tail, the sounds of their weapons getting closer. His wife looked at him worriedly, and his three children were clearly terrified, they needed to get out of this quickly, but the local pack roared again, herding them further in the direction they wanted them to go, it sounded like they were all around them and getting closer with every roar. He could hear the power of the Alpha in every roar, the respect he commanded, the love he deserved in every response.

And as he and his family entered a gully, he skidded to a stop, panting weakly, looking around at the rocks and small crags that surrounded them, with a wrecked car standing right in front of them.

And on top of it was a young girl, black hair fluttering in the wind, clad in a black raincoat, a red skirt with black tights and to his great surprise, a katana in her hand, her eyes glowing amber.

She was a kitsune.

Herding his children together, he forced them in a tight group as he and his wife leapt in front of them, roaring in challenge at the exotic guardian, but then there were two roars and his wife hissed in fury and fear as two identical young men dropped down on either side of them, both clad in jeans and leather jackets, one with his hair all spiked up and wearing a black tshirt, the other with a sort of quiffed fringe and wearing a white tshirt, one on each side and they roared in challenge, their eyes flashing blue as they did so, though they hesitated as they saw the three children behind the increasingly furious mother.

There was then a sort of higher pitched growl and a girl landed on all fours, her own eyes glowing blue, wearing a purple top with navy leggings, her light brown hair falling about her face as he landed, her dark black coat glinting in the night, and as some light shifted, the old Alpha was shocked to see that she was barefoot.

Behind her came another young boy in a red long sleeved sweater with a grey hoodie on, his messy spiky hair tinged with gold at the tips, thick boots covering his feet, and the old Alpha was sure he checked out the shoeless girls ass before he raised something that looked like a cattle prod which crackled with electricity.

There was then a noise from above them and another young man, who sent a reassuring smile at the twin wearing a white tshirt who smiled back, appeared, raising a bow with an arrow pointed right at the old man. He was clad in a hooded, black sleeveless top with dark jeans, looking very comfortable with the bow in his hand. Beside him was a girl with vivid strawberry blonde hair, in a green overcoat and a flowery dress, and had something that resembled a grenade in her hand as the wind stirred her cascading hair.

The old man snarled (though he was less than impressed that he could be about to meet his fate at the hands of a group of teenagers) and was ready to challenge the pack when the pack surrounding him cast their eyes as one to the rocky overlook above the wrecked car that the kitsune was standing on, and his family looked up as one to see the leather clad Alpha, eyes glowing red, staring down at them with a curious expression on his face, a pale slightly taller boy beside him, eyes glowing golden as he aimed an arrow at his snarling wife with a smaller bow than the one the other archer was wielding, and the older Alpha realised that it was this kid who his life and the lives of his family now depended upon.

“We’ve got them!” a Hispanic sounding voice shouted in glee, barrelling into the clearing, machine gun raised but then came to an abrupt stop as he realised that he had just strolled right into the middle of a werewolf standoff.

His five companions, one of them berating him in Spanish, entered the clearing as well, looking angry and then their faces flickered through a range of emotions, glee, confidence, hatred, fear and surprise as they realised that the hunters were now the hunted.

“Could you guys give us a few minutes? These guys have really been getting on my nerves.” The young Alpha asked the older one and he nodded, and with a vicious roar, the Alpha somersaulted off his high ground and his entire pack turned their attention to the trapped hunters who were even now fumbling for weapons.

Scott flipped down from his station, roaring angrily, eyes glowing crimson and he leapt towards the hunters, the rest of the pack moving as one. Lydia threw her smoke grenade, landing it right in the middle of the hunters who all screamed in protest and started firing bullets into the ravine wildly, desperate to hit anything as they tried to get their bearings. Before the first bullet had even left the gun however, the twins had leapt towards the surrounded pack, tackling them all to the ground.

“Stay down!” Ethan urged them before bounding up the hill and taking up a protective position beside Isaac, who fired an arrow right into the leg of the hunter who was about to shoot Malia.

Screaming in pain, the hunter turned his weapon to shoot at Isaac, but Aiden seized his wrist and smirked.

“Trust me, that’s a big no no.” He told him with a cocky grin and then kicked him in the stomach, before following through with a powerful uppercut that knocked the bleeding hunter off his feet and he slammed to the ground and moved no more.

“They’re here, we’ve got them!” a voice yelled and Ethan snarled as four more hunters descended from on high behind Isaac’s position.

Isaac span and shot another arrow through someone’s shoulder, holstering his bow as the man screamed and he grinned at Ethan who smirked back and the two wolves leapt at the oncoming hunters, landing right in the middle of them, claws out and swiping as they moved.

The hunters turned angrily, daggers and knives the weapons of choice as their guns were now useless, but they were no match for the young wolves. Ethan snapped one man’s arm in two, making him scream in pain and he bodily hurled the hunter through the air, slamming him into the wrecked car, which he rolled off of and went still. Isaac grabbed the arrow from the man whose shoulder he had hit and then wrenched it out, the man screaming in pain as he did so. Isaac then spiralled, throwing the arrow like a lance and catching another hunter in the shoulder.

The leader of the small group then fired several bullets at Isaac but he cartwheeled away from the attack, using what the twins had taught them all, avoiding the bullets before landing his feet on a tree and propelling himself off it, sending the man shooting at him high into the air. Ethan then tackled the man as he fell back down to earth, the gun flying from his hand and with one bone smashing punch, Ethan ended his threat.

Isaac dropped to his hands and swept the already wounded hunters legs out from under him, and slammed his fist into his chin, rendering him out cold with one hit, and with a lethal growl, Isaac sprang through the cold night air, landing right in front of the remaining hunter, ring daggers in hand and he slashed both the wounded hunter’s hands before kicking him in the groin. As the man gasped in pain, Isaac span around the back of his prey, one dagger at the man’s stomach, the other at his neck, and he slammed the hilt of his dagger into the man’s head, dropping him face first into the leaves.

“See, Aiden and I trained you too well, now I can’t beat you!” Ethan complained, and Isaac grinned cockily.

“How about I race you to the others?” he taunted and the two grinning wolves made for the rest of the fight.

Danny was once again proving himself an expert marksman, and had already stuck an arrow through one hunter’s hand. Kira grinned at him, swinging her glowing nunchuck and with a good swing she took down the wounded hunter before pirouetting, drawing her sword and stopping the hunter behind her from bludgeoning her with his rifle, using her sword to force him back into retreat before she swung her sword wildly, throwing his rifle from his hand and there was a dull thunk as Stiles slammed the man on the head with his metal bat, dropping him like a stone.

Malia darted across the leaves, her wicked claws ripping at the tendons of a screaming hunter, dropping the man to his knees as she deprived him of his ability to walk. With a nasty downward swipe, she took the man out of the game to watch in delight as Scott and Aiden, Aiden protecting and supplementing his Alpha, crowded the last of them in so they could finish them.

The two hunters opened fire with their machine guns, scattering the rest of the pack, Isaac and Ethan roaring in challenge and an arrow landed in between the two hunters, exploding with a bang and making the two hunters yell in fright, their eyes dazed. Glowing red eyes then appeared in front of one of them, and he felt himself be seized by the neck and thrown bodily across the ravine, slamming into a rock and going still.

“No!” Aiden barked, seizing the last man standing’s arm and sticking his claws into his wrist, dropping the silver dagger that he had been trying to stick in Scott’s back, and Aiden bared his fangs, ready to rip his throat out for threatening his Alpha.

“Hey! Enough ok?” Scott asked, his warm hand on Aiden’s shoulder and the terrified hunter, now smelling distinctly of urine, whimpered weakly as Aiden dropped him, and kicked him in the groin for good measure, the man wailing in winded exhaustion as he writhed in pain on the ground.

“There’s still two more.” Malia reported and Scott rolled his eyes, and grinned coyly at Kira, who grinned back and the two ran off in the direction Malia’s nose was pointing.

There was then two yelps of surprise and two hunters were thrown bodily from their position further down the ravine, crashing to the ground in a heap and going still, the Alpha and the kitsune smiling in satisfaction as they strolled up the path.

“That it?” Scott asked the coyote kindly, and she nodded, though still looked worried about something.

Deciding he would deal with that in the minute, he had a quick glance over the pack. Aiden was still growling at the man who he had his foot on the groin of, daring him to cause trouble. Kira and a grinning Stiles were going around, picking the hunters clean of all their weapons, while Danny helped Lydia get down from their position higher up the rise. Malia was still sniffing around trying to find whatever else was out there, and Isaac and Ethan were counting the number, making sure they had got them all. His brown eyed gaze lingering on his boyfriend’s leather clad body a little longer than it should have been, Scott watched as Ethan moved to his twin’s side, Aiden rolling his eyes in patient amusement as his twin scrutinised him for any pain, any sign that the wound that had nearly killed him was bothering him.

“Ten of them, all taken down and out in record time. Oh and my father the sheriff thanks you all for your generous contribution to his gun and knife amnesty!” Stiles said cheerfully, the moonlight shining on the golden highlights in his spiky messy hair.

“And we thank you for the finder’s fee we’ll get as a result.” Ethan said smugly to the only conscious hunter, who looked as though he were about to spit at him but thought better of it when he considered where his twin’s foot was, threatening his crown jewels.

Scott then turned to the man, savouring the silence they had brought to the forest by dealing with the hunters. Aware the other pack still needed dealt with, he hoped they would wait a little longer, and he could feel the other Alpha looking at the situation with interest, and his wife eyeing them all edgily.

Scott crouched down beside the fallen hunter and extended his claws, eyes flashing red as he surveyed the struggling moustachioed man.

“You realise something?” Scott asked softly, and the man grunted.

“What loba?” he spat, and Aiden increased the pressure of his boot slightly, making the man whine in pain.

“None of you are dead, which is considerably more than you could expect from any other pack. I don't want to kill anybody, none of my pack do. Well, if you keep calling me loba instead of lobo, Aiden here probably wants to kill you, he’s quite protective of me. But I don't want to kill you, I don't want to kill anyone, even pain in the ass hunters who have given me nothing but trouble for the past three months. So, how about we just talk? And then, you can get arrested and I can get on with my life, and everyone goes out of here alive. If not, well, you see the colour of the twin’s eyes.” Scott growled menacingly, and behind him, Isaac grinned, he loved it when Scott got threatening.

Not that he ever would let the twins kill anyone, and admittedly, since they had joined the pack, their murderous impulses had largely evaporated. Well, Ethan’s had, Aiden was still rather inclined to kill things a lot, but they had just put that down to a quirk of his nature.

The hunter looked like he was going to kick up a fuss, but one look at Aiden made him think twice, and he gave a bitter sigh, glaring at Scott.

“What do you want to know?” he grunted irritably in his Mexican accent and Scott grinned, he loved it when that worked.

True if he ever dealt with anyone who knew full well he wouldn’t kill anyone, they were screwed but for now, it worked like a charm.

“How many more of you are there?” he asked impatiently, and the hunter smirked.

“Hunters? Millions.” He boasted and Aiden rolled his eyes irritably.

“Not all hunters, just your clan, you know, the ones that have been here like locusts for months, the Calaveras!” he snarled and the hunter made a panicked noise.

“Ok, ok, I tell you! We’re the last, we came looking for Araya!” he cried desperately, and Kira approached, shooing a disgruntled Aiden off, who growled at the man before allowing the kitsune to bend down and assume a nicer role in the interrogation.

“Araya, who’s that?” she asked kindly, and the man seemed a lot more willing to spill the beans to her.

“She’s our leader, our matriarch. Women lead hunters, don't you know that?” he challenged, and a ripple went around the entire pack, the grief suddenly palpable but Kira pressed on before he realised how much he had bothered them with a simple question.

“Yes we know that. When did you last see Araya?” she asked, and the man scowled.

“Three months ago, we all came here looking for La Loba.” He replied, and Lydia frowned.

“A she wolf? Well you didn't do your jobs very well, there aren't any she wolves in town anymore, not since Cora left.” She told him, and the man, seemingly confident now he had started talking, continued.

“We don't know, we just wanted to find Araya, and kill the pack here, that’s all!” he protested, and Scott frowned.

“So Araya’s still missing?” he asked, and the man nodded.

“Yes! That’s why we came.” He explained, and Kira continued her good cop routine.

“Alright, see how easy it is? No one has to get hurt. Now, if you were the last of your clan, are you definitely the last of your group?” she asked, and he gave a wicked smile.

“One is left.” He taunted and Isaac growled, but a look from his boyfriend quelled his anger.

“Where?” Scott demanded irritably, and the man sniggered darkly.

“You’ll never know.” He taunted and Scott beckoned to a delighted looking Aiden, which made the hunter go pale.

“Alright fine! He’s in prison!” he cried frantically, stopping Aiden in his tracks and he affected a pout while Ethan and Danny sniggered.

Stiles scoffed.

“In prison? Then we don't need to worry about him do we?” he asked, but then it clicked in his head, the same it did in Isaac’s.

“He’s after Derek.” He told Scott, who rolled his eyes, of course he was, why not?

Derek, the other Beta in Scott’s pack, and the one who had been accused of murdering four hunters, who also happened to be part of the same clan as the one they were still dealing with, and was now in prison, awaiting trial for said crime.

The entire pack could agree on one thing: Derek hadn't done it. The sheer fear in him, the sense that for the first time in his life he was completely lost, it made it more than clear that he hadn't killed anyone, let alone those four hunters. And unlike the twins, who had a history of killing, Derek, to Scott’s knowledge, had only ever killed two people, despite his frequent attempts to kill others. And even then, one of the ones he had killed had crawled out of his grave anyway so he didn't really count.

The sheriff and Parrish (who was now included into the chessboard) had asked Scott to verify that Derek in fact could not remember anything about the murder and Scott had reluctantly used his power as Alpha to stick his claws into Derek’s neck and check his memories, something he had been less than inclined to do, but he had done. After all, he didn't need to look in Derek’s mind to know the truth. He just knew. He just knew that Derek hadn't done it.

And that was when he had discovered that that entire stretch of his memory was missing, not muddied, not blacked out, but missing. Derek literally had no idea what had happened, it was like the memories weren’t even in his head, and there was no way of knowing what had happened.

Deputy Haigh, the obnoxious, rude new deputy, of course called Derek a liar and was claiming that he was just trying to get off on an insanity plea but they all knew better. Derek actually was innocent, they just had no way to prove it.

And as a result, Derek was still languishing in prison, and was now at the mercy of a hunter who was determined to try and kill anyone and everyone in Scott’s pack that he could get his hands on.

Well, he wasn’t going to let him hurt Derek.

They had lost enough as it was.

“We need to get to the prison. Stiles-?” Scott began, but Stiles was already dialling, and the twins flanked their Alpha, basically declaring that they were going with him to rescue Derek.

“You won’t stop him in time!” the hunter boasted, and Kira shot him a dirty look.

“Oh shut up.” She grumbled and kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

Realising they could do nothing until Parrish was at least alerted to what they needed, Scott turned his attention to the pack that had strayed into their territory. Firstly, there were three children, ranging in ages from about six to eleven, all of them looking at the pack nervously. The same could not be said for the two adult wolves.

The Alpha was a tall man, dark skinned, his head shaved, dressed in trousers and a plain white shirt, and beside him, a shorter woman, in a black skirt and heels, long blond hair falling softly across her face, her eyes glowing golden, her hands raised protectively in front of the children.

“I must say, that was most impressive.” The other Alpha said looking at Scott warily and he gave him a smile.

“Thank you. Hey, we’re not going to hurt you.” Scott assured the woman, who looked at him sniffily.

“You’ll forgive me if I don't take your word for it.” She replied curtly, and the man placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down dearest, if the lad was going to hurt us, he’d have done it already.” He told her in a calm soothing voice, and she did relax ever so slightly.

“Are you going to hurt us mister?” one of the kids piped up, and Scott grinned a little before crouching down and shaking his head.

“No, I’m not going to hurt you. Though I would like to know why you’re in my territory.” Scott said politely, and the man chuckled.

“Purely by accident I assure you, I thought we were further east than we were. We didn't mean to stray into your territory. My name is Alastair Browning, this is my wife Cindy and my three children, Thomas, Maxine and Yuri.” He explained, pointing to each one in turn, indicating the one who had called Scott mister as Yuri.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Scott McCall. Oh and this is all of my pack, well not all of them, I’m one short at the moment but it’s most of them. That’s Malia, our best sniffer,” he said, and the new girl smiled as the other pack nodded at her respectfully, “that’s Kira,” the kitsune waved cheerfully, “Danny is the one with bigger bow,” he told them, “Lydia is our banshee,” he explained and something flickered over the older wolves faces but they said nothing, “that’s Stiles, my best friend,” Stiles took Malia’s hand as she was still frowning worriedly, “the twins, Aiden and Ethan, who are kind of my bodyguards, well, Aiden is anyway that’s why he’s so determined to protect me,” he told them, the twins looking at them suspiciously, and then Ethan rolled his eyes as Scott’s grin expanded, “and that’s my boyfriend, Isaac!” He said brightly, shaking Alastair’s hand and Cindy’s eyes widened in shock as he did so after giving the rest of the pack the once over.

“Oh, you’re the true Alpha we’ve all heard so much about. Well, it’s nice to meet you.” She said, also shaking his hand, apparently convinced that he didn't mean them any harm.

“That’s me. Sorry we kind of pounced on you, we’re kind of edgy, every pack with a bone to bury has been coming through here recently, and a few of them have given us trouble.” He informed them, and Ethan leaned close to Isaac.

“Yeah, that one with that Germaine guy definitely had a bone to bury.” He said with a snigger, and Isaac glared at him, the memory of that old Alpha hitting on his boyfriend was not one he cared to repeat.

“It’s because you’re new, it’ll calm down soon enough. I assure you, we mean no harm at all, we’re just passing through, we’re heading to Idaho for a family gathering.” Alastair explained, and Scott waved it off.

“It’s fine. Look, that should be the last of them, but if you want we can make sure you get out of here safely.” Scott offered, but Cindy shook her head.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine from here. Sorry, my husband’s sense of direction has never been particularly good.” She explained with a smile, and Alastair sighed irritably, glaring at her without venom.

“One mistake, she never lets it go.” He complained as she chivvied her children to start them moving.

“We wound up in Seattle.” She reminded him tartly.

“Well, it was nice there, you met Bessie there!” he protested as the children started to move out, the three kids waving and smiling and giving Scott a chorus of ‘bye’ in unison as their parents started them on their way again.

“Yes, and that’s all very well and good...we were meant to be heading to Sioux Falls though!” she reminded him and he scowled at her while she grinned smugly.

“Hey, they’re like you two.” Stiles said brightly, and Isaac glared.

“Isn't that more like you? You’ve still not forgiven me!” he complained, and Stiles shot him a dirty look.

“That’s because you’re a dirty oath breaker and dropped me royally in it!”

“It slipped out!”

“Yeah whatever it did, it set a pissed off jealous Alpha down on my head, all because of you!”

Scott rolled his eyes in amusement as the familiar sounds of Isaac and Stiles bickering reached his ears, and Alastair looked at the two of them worriedly.

“Are they alright?” he asked, apparently fearing for Stiles’ safety since he could smell that he was only human, well, mostly, there was something a little, off, about his scent, but Scott grinned and nodded.

“Oh yeah, believe me, I prefer them bickering, if they aren't bickering they’re usually up to something to make me miserable. It was nice to meet you all.” Scott said, shaking Alastair’s hand again, and the older Alpha nodded.

“You seem a fine young man. I hope we can keep in touch. I’ll give you a call if we come this way again, and if you ever have need for advice, I’ll be happy to help. Here you are. Thank you for dealing with the hunters. I hope we meet again. Good luck with your friend.” He said, as he and his family disappeared into the dark woods leaving Scott musing on his position as Alpha.

“Good decision buddy, good Alpha decision.” Stiles said proudly, and he smiled.

“Yeah, kind of nice having another pack pass through that doesn't want us dead.” He mused, and Kira snorted in amusement.

“How many does that make now?” she asked, and Aiden looked at her with a slight grin.

“Well not wanting to kill the entire pack, about six, not wanting to kill everyone in the pack other than us, only five.”

He was of course referring to the pack under the command of an Alpha named Jacqui, who had immediately recognised the twins as Deucalion’s former thugs and had tried her hardest to take Aiden’s head off. Considering he had only gotten out of the hospital two weeks before, Scott hadn't taken this well and had forced Jacqui off, snarling angrily and looking the angriest anyone had ever seen him, and it was only the joint force of Stiles and Isaac talking to him that cooled him down. He had then apologised, but made it clear to Jacqui, who had accepted her defeat with relative good grace, that whatever the twins might have done was in the past and they were his pack now.

“What now?” Danny asked, and Ethan looked at him sharply.

“You go home.” He told him and Danny scowled angrily.

“You guys let Stiles go with you and he’s human, and Lydia isn't much better!” he protested, and Isaac shrugged.

“Yeah buddy, and besides he’s a better shot than they are.” He reasoned and Ethan looked at his boyfriend worriedly.

“I still don't like him being out here.” He complained, and Danny exchanged an exasperated look with Isaac.

“Is this a werewolf thing with boyfriends?” he asked and Isaac smiled.

“Don’t know, mine learned not to try to leave me behind.” He replied, and Scott went slightly red.

“How’d you manage that?” Danny asked with a sly grin, and Isaac waggled an arrow in the air, making Danny wonder just what he had done to his boyfriend.

“Anyway, I need to get to the prison and help Derek. Yes I know you pair are coming.” Scott said, resigned to the fact, and not thinking it was worth the fight as the twins sidled up to him.

“Well while you do that, we can get this lot away.” Lydia said and Aiden looked at her intently, as though she were sickening for something and she shot him a dirty look, clearly annoyed.

“Are you having any feelings?” he asked her gently, and she gave him a cold smile.

“Yes...annoyance.” she said tartly, and Scott decided to intervene before the two of them had another of their all too familiar fights.

It was like ever since Aiden had come out of the hospital, Lydia hadn't wanted to spend any time with him. Sure she’d had sex with him after he had got out (which Scott had thought a bit much, as during all the time his Beta had been in hospital she hadn't visited him at all, sent a card, or even talked to him in any way, and while he made a perfectly good show of not being bothered by it, Scott could tell he was hurt that she apparently didn't deign his near death worthy of her time) but while it was clear to everyone with a pair of eyes that Aiden wanted to spend time with her, she continually blew him off and left Aiden angry and hurt by the way she was treating him.

At first they had thought it was just the reaction to losing Allison, but now they were not so sure.

“I meant, can you tell if Derek’s in actual danger?” he asked waspishly, and she shrugged helplessly.

“Not from here, I’m too far away, and besides, my weird feelings helped cause this mess.” She said bitterly, and Stiles squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“Hey, enough of that.” He chided gently and before any of them could say anything a horn honked in the distance.

“Ok, we’ll go and deal with Derek, and hopefully that guy really will be the last of the Calleveras, I’m fed up of that Mexican goth biker gang.” Scott complained and beckoned imperiously to the twins.

Ethan kissed Danny softly, warning him to go straight home and Danny nodded, looking amused and bored at the same time. Aiden tried to kiss Lydia goodbye but she pulled away, and Kira saw Aiden’s eyes flash blue in frustration and he turned and followed his twin without another word, Kira’s eyes narrowed as she considered whacking Lydia with her nunchuck just to see if it knocked some sense into her .

“You’re in for a fun ride.” Isaac commented grimly, looking at Aiden’s retreating back worriedly, his entirely spiky haired head bowed, and Scott grinned cockily.

“Is that a promise?” he asked cheerfully and Isaac went red, smiling at his suggestion.

“Maybe if you play your cards right.” He whispered and the two kissed softly, before Scott unwilling stopped kissing him.

“See you at home.” He said as the horn honked again, and he sped up to catch up with Ethan, as an annoyed Aiden was storming ahead.

None of them mentioned anything to Lydia, not even Stiles, who was rubbing himself self consciously, something he had been doing a lot since being freed from the Nogitsune. It may be gone, but they were far from over the damage it had caused.

“Ok, let’s get this lot cleared away. Malia, what is it?” Isaac asked, taking over operations since Scott was away and Stiles seemed a million miles away.

The coyote was looking out at the forest worriedly, her eyes glowing blue and she edged a little closer to Stiles, who seemed to sense the distress his girlfriend was in.

“Hey, you with us?” he asked worriedly, and she looked nervously at him.

“There’s other things in this forest. And something, whatever it is, definitely shouldn’t be here.” She told him darkly, and Isaac looked out at the forest, now beginning to feel slightly jumpy.

“What is it?” he asked nervously, ready to holster another arrow, and she shook her head.

“I don't know that’s what’s bothering me. There was different smells, but now, there’s just the one, it smells of, I don't know, dust, mildew...blood.” she whispered, and Stiles tilted her face to look at him.

“So-?”

“So if I had any idea what it was, I’d be running away. First law of the wild, anything smells that funky, you don't mess with it, you run from it.” She said significantly, and Stiles looked at her, hurt.

“Wait, so if you ran away you’d leave us behind? Leave me behind?” he asked, and she gave him a little smile.

“Well, them, yeah probably, if your survival is threatened, its every coyote for themselves. Well, unless they have someone like you.” She said softly, and he grinned sappily at her and Isaac decided they better wrap this up before they started having sex in the forest, which, as Malia had told them, was a pastime of theirs.

“Alright, how about we take her advice and get the hell out of here. I don't know about you guys but I don't want to deal with whatever’s giving her the creeps, we’ve got enough problems...we’ve had enough problems. Let’s go. Huh, did anyone think to bring a way to get rid of these guys quickly?” he asked and Kira gave him a half smile.

No then.

Grumbling, they started moving the defeated hunters from the forest, at least able to carry the weapons easily.

High above them, he looked down at then, his eerie amber eyes watching them intently. That girl, she wasn’t like the others, she had a better sense of smell as well. He had thought he was safe, high above them, in the rafters of the trees like this but obviously not, she had somehow picked up a scent of him. Either way, he would have to be careful. Agravaine would be here soon, and he had a score to settle with the monster. And then, once he had settled that score, he would hunt down every creature like him and settle it with them too. Giving a last hateful glare at the pack beneath him, he flew off into the air.

Melody had to admit, the pack was good. She was standing further back, in the shadows, watching them intently. Malia had picked up a scent she didn't like, and she didn't know if the wild girl had somehow smelled her. She shouldn’t be able to, after all, her pheromones ought to protect her, but you could never be too careful. Particularly since school started the day after next, the last thing she needed was Malia twigging that she was spying on them. Smirking slightly, she vanished into the night.

And unseen by any of them, its silhouette framed by the moonlight, a hulking mass of flesh looked down intently before vanishing into the night towards its master.

 

XX

 

Both twins were looking at their Alpha in amusement, who had a look of childlike joy on his face as Parrish blazed them up the freeway, siren blaring. He enjoyed riding in a cop car bless him.

However, unlike Scott, Aiden wasn’t quite as happy. He was glaring out the window resentfully, his mind buzzing.

“You ok?” Ethan asked softly and he snarled in response, but his twin wasn’t to be deterred.

“Aiden, I know you. You’re pissed.” He began, but before he could say anything else his brother turned to him, eyes glowing blue and snarling at him viciously.

“Um, not wanting to be a party pooper, but I’d rather you didn't rip each other up in the back of my car, see, this is my own one, and I kind of don't want to tell the sheriff I need to get it cleaned and detailed already.” Parrish said pathetically, and Scott grinned at the young blond deputy before turning back to an angry Aiden and a hesitant Ethan.

“Don't make me come back there. Aiden...I know she’s getting to you. Calm down ok?” he asked, and at the command of his Alpha Aiden’s blue eyes faded and he went back to scowling out of the window.

“I just wish I knew what I’d done to make her so mad. Do you know?” he asked hopefully, and Scott looked at him sadly and shook his head.

“Sorry buddy. Let’s save Derek first, then we can figure out what’s going on in her head ok?” he asked, and Aiden nodded, and Ethan gave Scott a brief look of thanks before he turned back to a worried looking Parrish.

“So why are they going after Derek?” Parrish asked as various cars parted like the Red Sea before him.

“Probably because he’s in my pack, and probably because they think he killed those four hunters. And even though we know he didn't, I doubt they’ll care much.” Scott commented darkly, and Ethan leaned forward from the back.

“And even if he’s found guilty, they’ll still blame him. How much longer are you guys going to hold him anyway?” he asked the deputy, and Parrish bit his lip thoughtfully.

“It isn't that easy Ethan. Look, the sheriff and I know full well Derek didn't do it, but to everyone else, he looks guilty as sin. Haigh is right about one thing, claiming he can’t remember is something murderers do to try and get a better sentence when they know they’ve done it, basically, it gets put down to insanity and generally they get a fairer sentence.” He said worriedly, and Aiden jerked himself out of his reverie.

“Yeah that’s why Batman never gets rid of any of his enemies, like the Joker, claim insanity and you can’t be put to death.” He said helpfully and Scott rolled his eyes in amusement, since getting his job at the comic shop, Aiden had increased his comic knowledge to even greater lengths and was now on an even par with both Isaac and Stiles (one night they had been so engrossed in a discussion about who was better, Iron Man or Batman, that Scott was sure they wouldn’t have noticed if an army of Oni had appeared in the middle of the room).

“What about Captain America?” Ethan piped up and Parrish smirked.

“We all know why you’re interested in Captain America.” He teased and Ethan went slightly red while Scott and Aiden grinned, though Scott had to admit, he could understand Ethan’s crush on the film version of Captain America.

“Yeah but we know Derek isn't lying, he’s telling the truth. He literally can’t remember, someone stole the memories from him.” Scott said darkly, and Aiden leaned forward.

“Didn't you get memories out of Isaac when you were looking for Boyd and Erica?” he asked and Scott nodded, his mind flashing back to images of a shirtless Isaac climbing into a bath full of iced water and falling into a trance like state.

“Yeah we did, and I even had Deaton help me do it, which was a joy,” he said sarcastically, “but we couldn't get anything. There is nothing in Derek’s memory that will help us find what happened to him, literally nothing. Even Deucalion left traces, which means...”

“Whatever this fresh hell that stole Derek’s memories is either stronger than that guy.” Parrish offered, and Ethan shook his head.

“Doubt it, he was kind of justified in calling himself the Demon Wolf even if he just sounded like an ass doing it. But the other option is whoever did it is just better at stealing memories, which would make sense, particularly if they’re framing him for murder.” He reasoned, and Aiden then looked at his Alpha hesitantly.

“Um...look I know we all basically agree but, well how do we know Derek isn't actually the killer?” he asked, and backed away slightly as Scott narrowed his eyes at him in the mirror.

“I just know he didn't. Like I know you haven’t killed anything since you joined the pack either. I just know.” He responded and that seemed good enough for him as they blazed up the road towards the prison, massive oddly shaped foreboding grey building.

“Alright, I’ll get us in, leave the talking to me.” Parrish warned and Scott nodded.

Since Stiles and the sheriff had included him into the chessboard (which now became the common way of referring to those in the know who weren’t originally (they had all been rather surprised when Ethan had appeared with a tired but grinning Danny and informed them all that he knew about the chessboard too)), Parrish had been invaluable. As a deputy, he tended to attract less attention than the sheriff did when he tried to help them, and as such was much more willing to help them, and also much more able, acting basically as an intermediary between the pack and the sheriff’s office, which had already been essential. He had also spent a lot of time with Derek, ostensibly working on getting more information on what had happened, but was really acting as a relay between him and the pack since Derek was allowed limited contact, and was generally just befriending the banged up Beta.

“Ah, the next chapter in the epic romance between you and that cute desk clerk.” Aiden teased as they got out the car, and Parrish shot him a dirty look and the three wolves sniggered as he led them into the prison waiting area, and Scott could detect the faint smells of mutual attraction blossom between Parrish and the girl behind the desk.

Clad in a deep blue prison officer uniform, she had dark hair which was lightening in several places, hanging around her face, showing her intense blue eyes and the glowing smile she saw Parrish coming towards her.

“Hey Kyle, back again?” she asked as she smiled in greeting at the three wolves.

“Yeah, sorry Mikaela, but we need to see Derek Hale, it’s important.” He insisted, and she arced a pencilled eyebrow at him.

“Huh, so you’re telling me you brought three of Derek’s little teenage friends speeding up here from Beacon Hills which is a forty five minute drive, to talk to Derek at what is now quarter past eleven at night when it’s freezing out there when three hot young guys like that and a hot guy like you should be in bed with your girlfriends?” she challenged, clearly enjoying the little tinge of pink she brought to Parrish’s cheeks.

“Um, my girlfriend seems to hate me and this pair have boyfriends. But he’s single.” Aiden chipped in, pointing to an incredulous Parrish as Mikaela smiled.

“Sorry. So, what gives?” she asked, and Parrish sighed wearily, still shooting Aiden a dirty look as Scott poked him, looking only slightly chiding and his bodyguard shrugged, trying and failing to look innocent.

“Look I know this is irregular and kind of against the rules, but...we think he’s in danger. Someone looking to kill Derek for committing the four murders he’s accused of.” He explained, which was true in essence, it just lacking elaboration, and Mikaela frowned worriedly, her hand on the security button to call help if they needed it.

“You’re sure? Kyle this just sounds ridiculous though, they can’t get in here, this is a prison for god sake, not a petting zoo, it isn't as if anyone can just stroll in...well unless they have someone like you with them.” She said, nodding to the three wolves.

“Hey, if you don't believe me, why you ready to call help for us?” he asked with a slight smile and she looked at him, slightly embarrassed.

“I don't know, you just seem...trustworthy. Why would someone break in just to kill someone, and how would they?” she demanded, and Scott closed his eyes, as if trying to block something out and the twins edged closer to him, protecting him from view with their slightly taller bodies.

“I can feel it, he’s in trouble, he’s in danger. Either of you want to explain this supernatural alarm bell by the way?” he asked irritably, and Ethan bit his lip worriedly.

“We will, but let’s save Derek first ok? What is it?” he asked anxiously, and Scott looked at Aiden, who had taken Scott’s arm to steady him as he his head had started to swim.

“It’s not like with you, when you were stabbed I could feel the blade, this is like...like I know he’s in trouble but I don't know what it is, or where it’s coming from, you know, like you’re being followed.” He explained and Aiden growled under his breath.

“We’re running out of time.” He complained and turned to Parrish and Mikaela, who had noticed nothing.

“They want him dead for killing someone in their family as far as we know, it’s a whole blood debt thing. And...and Derek’s in isolation.” Parrish said, the final piece clicking into place.

When they had put Derek in here, the sheriff and Parrish had talked it over with Derek and Scott and they had all agreed that giving him a cell in isolation would be better for everyone, and the sheriff had overridden Haigh’s complaints to get away with it. And besides, as Stiles had said, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist anyway, and could hardly be described as a joy to be around so isolation seemed to suit Derek perfectly, which Derek had admitted was a good point before threatening to kill Stiles for being a smart ass.

“Go, now.” Mikaela said worriedly, opening the door with a buzzing sound, and summoning other security guards to Derek’s cell.

“Mikaela?” Parrish asked in shock, and she looked at him significantly, the colour drained from her face.

“The cameras just went down in his cell block. We’re blind.” She said, and with that Parrish drew his gun, the three wolves shoving into the corridor before she could even stop them.

 

XX

 

Derek pushed himself up from the floor, counting two hundred and getting to his feet, stretching his tight muscles, a slight sheen of sweat on his bare chest as he looked around his cell, supremely bored.

He had been in here for three months, and he was bored rigid. While he knew the pack had his back and none of them believed he had killed those hunters, he had to admit, their belief in him was doing very little to alleviate the sense of total uselessness and boredom that had gripped him ever since he had been put here, accused of four murders he didn't commit.

Well, he didn't think he had committed them, but he couldn't remember one way or the other. He didn't think he had committed them, but the fear, the terror that he had done that, had killed those four hunters, even if it was in self defence, it was a powerful grip on the mind and he was terrified that he indeed killed them and just couldn't remember.

In truth, he had never been more afraid of anything. Not since his family had been burned alive because of his relationship to Kate Argent had he been so lost and confused as he had been when he had woken up to discover four dead bodies and himself covered in their blood with their skin under his nails. While the twins, Aiden in particular, had wondered if he actually had killed them, Scott’s discovery that he literally had no recollection at all of the event in question, the fact that that part of his memory was simply erased, missing, had made the pack all lean towards the theory that he was being very cleverly set up.

Truth was, Derek was actually more inclined to agree with Aiden. Scott would never believe he was a murderer first off, well, not now they actually knew and cared about each other, that was just the way Scott worked, he believed the best in people, which he, Jackson, Isaac, the twins and even Stiles now were all living proof of. He had heard of wolves who had just totally lost control given in to the beast within, kind of like Jackson had done when he was the kanima, and had woken as if from a trance, covered in blood and reeking of death with no recollection of what had happened. Derek feared that he had indeed killed the hunters, slaughtered them viciously, and had just blanked out, given over to his primal urges and became the very sort of monster that kind of justified the existence of hunters in the first place.

What if he was a killer, a natural monstrous killer, and had just blacked out and had lost control when he had killed those hunters?

What if he was like Peter?

An image of his uncle’s Alpha form, a true beast like Alpha, more wolf than man, a stooped, long, dark rd eyed beast flashed to mind and he shook his head, dispelling the image.

He would never become like Peter had been, a pure murderous monster, driven on instinct and vengeance.

He would die first.

But...that did leave another question. If, as the pack, the sheriff and his young deputy, even Melissa, all seemed to believe, that he had been framed, that begged the question of just what, or who, had killed those hunters and just as importantly, how they had stolen the memory of doing it.

He had no clue what was going on, no clue what had happened that night, and had no clue why he was still waiting here for a trial, and he literally had no clue if his mind was still even his own. True he’d endured two full moons since coming here and he had remained in control, but, what if there was something wrong with him deep down?

He sighed wearily, he hated being locked up like this for so long. No one had visited today, but to be fair that was to be expected, he knew the pack were investigating but he also knew Beacon Hills was currently attracting all sorts of creatures, all coming for a nose at the true Alpha who had just announced himself to the world. And besides, they would all be going back to school in two days time since winter break was finally ending. And most of them had jobs now too, and their own problems to worry about.

And besides, most of all he was disappointed that the enigmatic Braeden hadn't visited either.

Musing on her slightly, he turned to look at the book he had taken from the library, he had heard Stiles say that Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson was good, and so he had picked it up in the library, he figured he may as well catch up on reading since he was in here with nothing else to do. And besides, it was about Vikings, which he had always enjoyed, so why not?

There was then a dull clunk from outside, and Derek frowned, turning towards the door to his cell. Hang on, that was the sound of the lights going out but the corridor ones went out at midnight, it couldn't be midnight yet surely? Straining his ears, Derek heard a single gait making its way up the corridor and he felt his heart rate quicken, whoever they were was moving quietly but quickly in the dark corridor outside, their heart rate quite steady. And then he heard the unmistakable noise of a knife being pulled from its sheath, and the sound of a gun being chambered.

Picking up the tunic that consisted the other half of his prison uniform (musing that orange really wasn’t his colour as he did so) he pulled it on and prepared himself just as the door slid open.

No killing, no fighting unless it was absolutely necessary, killing or even wounding whoever was there would only make matters worse for himself.

The door opened, revealing the black corridor outside and the lights inside the cell went out, Derek snarling in anger as they did so, that could only mean one thing, a hunter had come for him. But, as a wolf, he could see perfectly well in the dark to see a grizzled, scarred and pockmarked man, with a silencer pistol in one hand and a silver dagger in the other.

“Well well, if it isn't the killer of my cousin Severo.” He sneered and Derek snarled, claws extending.

“Don't tell me you’re another Callevera, how many of you are there?” he demanded, and the man chuckled darkly as he raised his hand, and while Derek tensed, the man just flicked a switch.

Derek snarled in shock as a blinding beam light filled the room, making spots appear in his eyes as the hunter blinded him.

“Poor lobo, we are legion! And your pack, well by now, you’re probably the only one left.” The hunter gloated and Derek growled dangerously, if he had hurt the pack...

“Somehow I reckon they’re safe, after all, there’s an entire clan of you, and I’ve seen more of you pass through here than drug dealers, I mean, you can’t be that competent.” He goaded, and he could barely make out the pistol being moved towards his head in the beam of his headlight, the man scoffing.

“You will see, your pack is finished. Now, how about you tell me all about where La Loba is?” the hunter hissed and Derek sighed in annoyance.

Whoever the hell this La Loba was they better be the most interesting person on the planet because he was seriously getting pissed off hearing about the woman, ever since the Calleveras had arrived in town it had been La Loba this, La Loba that, and he was as bored of that as he was of this place.

“What’s your obsession for this girl anyway? I don't know who La Loba is! There are no she wolves in town! There is no La Loba!” he yelled angrily, wondering if he could just edge so he could make out the man who had a gun and a knife pointed at him, trapping him in his cell like this.

The hunter chuckled.

“You mean to tell me you don't know La Loba? Please my friend. But alright, how about you tell me what you did with Araya, and where she is?” he ground out, and Derek looked at the man, curious.

Araya was the matriarch of the entire Callavera clan, their general in their war on the supernatural. Strict followers of the code, they were the self appointed police of the hunter world and if Araya had vanished, well that was very curious.

“Araya’s missing?” he asked with interest, and he could see the man’s aim waver a little.

So...the Callavera clan didn't know where their leader was. If she had been missing for three months, well, she was most likely dead, but something just didn't add up about it. Was that another murder he had committed, or was there something else at play here?

And if the Callavera clan had indeed lost their matriarch (much like the Argents, he reflected grimly) then that meant that there was an entire clan of leaderless cousins, brothers, nephews, uncles and all sorts, all of them looking for guidance, looking for a leader. And in desperation, before they all started trying to carve up the substantial empire Araya had created through various means, legal and otherwise, they would all come to the last place where she had been.

Beacon Hills.

And that would explain why there had been a virtual army of hunters giving Scott so much trouble recently.

They were looking for Araya, and she was nowhere to be found, so they had gone after the pack, hoping that would explain it for them.

But if the pack didn't know, and he didn't know, and her entire clan didn't know that begged the question: just where was Araya, and what had happened to her, and more importantly, who had done it to her?

“Like you don't know wolf! Where is Araya?” he demanded, and Derek grinned.

“I seriously don't know, but if I was a betting guy I’d say she was dead. What was she to you, mother? Sister? Aunt? Grandmother? Um...lover?” Derek asked in distaste, poking at him, and the man’s hand shook furiously.

“You know, you’re going to tell me, tell me where she is or I kill you like the dog you are!”

There was then a deep growl, but it didn't come from Derek, and the man was suddenly thrown hurtling backwards through the air with a scream, slamming into the wall and dropping like a stone, the light shattering and going out, and Derek grinned as he saw a pair of glowing red eyes approach him in the darkness, flanked by two glowing pairs of blue eyes, and he felt himself relax a little, and appreciate how impressive that looked in the darkness.

“Seriously Derek,” Scott asked with a slight smile as the lights came back on, flanked by Aiden and Ethan who were grinning cockily, “do I need to keep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are with the official start of my season four! 
> 
> So the pack is new and improved and ready for action against all those intruders. Now, not a lot happens this chapter or even this episode and I'm sorry about that I truly am, but the start of episode 2 will see the action properly kick off. We also already have questions that need answered: how is Derek getting out of this, what's Lydia's problem and just how much is Allison's death affecting the pack?
> 
> We also have aesthetic changes, new wardrobes for Isaac and the twins generally, Danny too for that matter (Lydia wants Malia to get shoes but she's not having it) and new hairstyles for Scott (gelled into a side parting), Aiden (he completely spikes up all his hair now) and Stiles (who has golden highlights on the tips of his hair), and more info on these changes will be coming.
> 
> So next episode, Isaac and Stiles do a bit of bonding, we return to school to meet the new characters, grandma is coming to visit, and some of our villains show up in town
> 
> Anyway, until then, please leave kudos and comments, apologies not much happens this chapter and I hope you liked regardless!


	4. Episode 1: Territory Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott, Stiles, Isaac and Malia share some pillow talk, Allison's death continues to leave echoes, a troublemaker returns to Beacon Hills and Grandma pays a visit

Two-Pack II

 

Scott hauled himself tiredly into the house, feeling rather glad his mother was doing a late shift at the hospital, if she had caught him coming in at this time, Alpha or not, she’d have killed him. As it was, he was only going to have to deal with a disgruntled boyfriend which was bad enough since he’d been gone for hours.

After saving Derek from the hunter, who had been promptly whisked away and sent to the main prison (which was now filled with alarming numbers of those of the Callavera clan much to Scott’s concern) he had been kept back by the appalled warden who was shocked that someone had broken into the prison with the intention of killing Derek, and as such he and the twins had endured a fair bit of questioning about why they had been there. However he was apparently convinced by these explanations, and was already promising to put Mikaela forward for promotion for trusting her instincts, and was writing to the sheriff to commend Parrish and to see if they could get the boys citizenship medals bless him.

While the twins had been questioned, Scott had finally been able to catch a few minutes to talk to Derek, which was a blessing. Ever since he had been locked in here, they’d hardly seen him and as such Scott had largely been going it alone. True the twins, Aiden in particular, were very eager to help but there was some stuff they just didn't know. Scott had assuaged their disappointment by saying it was to be expected, they weren’t like Ennis and Kali, they had been the Omegas who had killed the Alpha as opposed to vice versa, hence it was understandable that they didn't know some stuff.

They needed to get Derek out of there. Haigh, the new deputy who was persecuting Derek with a fiery vengeance and seriously pissing off Parrish, who had become quite fond of Derek recently, said that it wouldn’t be long till the trial came about, which would at least get the ball moving. But there were still so many mysteries surrounding this, and Scott didn't like it one little bit.

While he knew in his heart that Derek hadn't killed those hunters and had been very well framed, he knew nothing else that could help, hell, he would feel better if he could even find the memory in Derek’s head but the entire thing was missing, that entire time period was just a blank slate and none of them knew how they were going to fix it.

And as a result, Derek, who may have been quite a poor Alpha, was nevertheless a good source of advice, and to Scott’s slight amusement he had become a sort of big brother to him, and to be frank, he kind of missed having the brooding, sulking former Alpha around.

And besides, he was getting seriously worried that one of his pack was trapped in prison and they could do nothing to get him out, and tonight had proved that no matter how strong Derek was, they couldn't escape the fact that he was a rat in a trap in here, which put him in a lot of danger. And that danger got even worse when you considered that virtually all of the Callavera clan was now in the same prison and only a couple of cell blocks away from him.

That particular thought wasn’t very reassuring.

Scott did however muse on the conversation he had had with Derek in the prison as he kicked off his feet and considered which room Isaac might be in and began the long walk up the stairs towards his boyfriend who would hopefully be nice and warm. Who was he kidding, he would be freezing as usual and it would be up to him to cuddle up to him to warm him up. What a nuisance, he thought with a grin.

_“Alastair? Yeah I’ve heard of him, nice bloke, good with kids.” Derek commented and Scott grinned a little._

_“Yeah we gathered that since they were determined not to let any of us near them.” He said wryly, and Derek quirked an eyebrow in amusement._

_“Are you telling me you’d let Stiles near a kid?” he asked and Scott snorted in amusement, that was a good point, you wouldn’t know who was babysitting who._

_“Point. Are you ok?” he asked, his warm eyes looking at Derek worryingly._

_Derek sighed, looking bored and worried._

_“Well, yeah. Actually that guy trying to kill me broke up the monotony nicely, I’m frustrated, and bored. And...”_

_“You didn't do it.” Scott intoned, and Derek looked at him curiously, a slight smile on his face._

_“What makes you so sure?” he asked and Scott shrugged._

_“I just know you didn't. You’re being framed, and that Braeden girl is trying to help too,” he said, noticing the slightly pleased expression that flickered over Derek’s face as he told him that, “we know you were framed. We just don't know how to explain it or how to get you out of this, but we are working on it, I promise.” He explained and Derek patted his shoulder slightly._

_“Thanks Scott. Have you had any sign of Peter yet?” he asked darkly, his eyes narrowed as he mentioned his less than trustworthy uncle, and Scott shook his head grimly._

_“No, we haven’t seen him in weeks, not since, well you know.” Scott said worriedly, tailing off and avoiding mentioning what had happened then._

_Derek made a thoughtful noise, and he looked at Scott, his brow furrowed._

_“Did you-?” he began and Scott’s nod cut him off._

_“Yep, I called Cora, she says she hasn’t seen or heard from him either. Isaac called Argent and asked him to have a look too, but even he says he hasn’t had any luck.” He replied, and Derek looked grim._

_“Whatever he’s up to...just be careful. Even with the oompah loompahs out there to protect you, he’s still dangerous.” He warned, and Scott nodded, while vowing to himself never to tell the twins of how they were just referred to._

_“I do remember. But we have another problem.” Scott said and Derek groaned._

_“Ugh, I’m in prison, Peter’s MIA, you’re attracting trouble like a magnet, what next?” he asked and Scott sighed._

_“Gerard. He’s vanished.” He said darkly, and Derek’s eyes widened in alarm._

_Unlike Peter, who the vast majority of the pack only knew to be trouble and hadn't lived through it, Gerard was another matter, and even the twins were familiar with him considering it had apparently been one of Deucalion’s favourite stories to tell them._

_“Are you kidding? Since when?” he demanded, but the troubled look on Scott’s face was more than enough to answer that question._

_“Argent’s looking for him too. But it gets better. Wherever he went, he apparently walked out. His wheelchair was still in his room, with a large hole in it that makes it look like it got stabbed.” Scott informed him and Derek’s eyes widened in alarm._

_“Wait, he walked out?” he demanded and Scott nodded, looking supremely annoyed._

_“Looks that way. We’re looking but we haven’t had any luck, and Argent hasn’t either.” He explained, knowing full well what Gerard’s disappearance could mean._

_“Scott...” Derek began but before he could go any further, one of the guards came up and told Derek he was being taken back to his cell, and Derek scowled, looking annoyed, and Scott wondered if he was pushing his luck asking for a few more minutes._

_But as they started shoving Derek away, Derek looking frustrated, a tiny bit of fear emanating off him as they led him away, and Scott bit his lip._

_“We’re going to fix this Derek. I promise.” He vowed as the door slammed shut, once again trapping his Beta in prison for something he knew he hadn't done, trapping him with an army of hunters who would like nothing more than to kill him for the crime he was accused of._

Scott frowned as he looked between the two bedrooms, which one was Isaac in? Smelling the scent that was his boyfriend he opened the door to his own bedroom to see Isaac sitting cross legged on the bed, still wearing his jeans and black tshirt and Scott grinned, kneeling in front of him and tilting his head up to kiss him, Isaac kissing back softly.

“Hey, is Derek alright?” he asked as Scott sat beside him and leaned his head on his shoulder.

“Yeah he is, well, he’s bored as hell. We need to get him out of there honey, you realise all the Callaveras are all in there with him now?” he asked, and Isaac nodded, pressing a kiss to Scott’s temple.

“Yeah, the only reason he’s safe is that he’s in solitary. I’ve been trying to find anything that can help since I came home, but there’s nothing. I even looked for a couple of lawyers but, well do we know if Derek has any savings?” he asked hopefully, and Scott shrugged.

“Probably as much as we have.” Scott lamented, and Isaac sagged a little which made Scott sit up and stroke his cheek softly.

“Hey...” he chided and Isaac sighed a little but moved on.

Scott wasn’t quite as convinced that he had though. Ever since he had started working at the coffee shop he had been trying to convince Melissa to take some money for keeping him but she wasn’t having any of it. Scott knew he felt guilty about living with them and wanted to help out, but he didn't listen when both of them told them that he did more than enough around the house to help out. He also hated that everything his father had left him (unwillingly but as Camden was dead he was the sole beneficiary) he couldn't get until he was twenty one, and hence couldn't even give any of that to Melissa not that she would take any of it anyway.

While Isaac was concerned with not being able to pay money back, it wasn’t just him. The entire pack was struggling with money at the moment. The house was old and falling apart, his mother having gotten it from her grandmother, and needed some major work and repairs done to it before it all came down around their ears. The car could also do with being replaced but obviously that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. His mother worked all the hours god sent, and she got alimony and child support from his father but neither of them accounted for much. And between Scott and Isaac, true they both had jobs and had both offered her money to help out but she refused to take it, and even then they didn't make that much, and it would be less in two days time because they wouldn’t be able to get any overtime due to being back at school.

Stiles and his father weren’t much better, needing to pay the bills from his brain scan and from his brief stay in Eichen House, and with the sheriff’s pay having been frozen while he was under investigation by his father (to which he had called his father several rude names upon learning) they too were struggling.

The twins were still staying in the flat Deucalion had rented above Allison’s old place, but the rent was only paid for another few months after this one was over, and while the landlady was a kind old dear who rather liked having the two attractive twins in her building and enjoyed their company, they too had little money to spare as they were squirreling it away to try and get another place to live when the rent ran out.

Even Malia had problems due to her also being incarcerated at Eichen House and all the tests and injections she had gotten when she had returned to human form.

Basically, the vast majority of the pack was bankrupt, but that was a problem for another day.

“Did you tell him about Peter and Gerard?” Isaac asked, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, he was as happy as we are to get those tidings of joy. He’s just frustrated.” He complained, wishing he could do something else to help Derek.

“We all are. And that Braeden girl has vanished again, no one’s seen or heard from her.” Isaac complained as he stroked Scott’s new hairstyle fondly, and Scott considered that for a moment.

“Maybe no news is good news. But still, I’d rather have Derek out of prison soon. You do realise there’s a virtual army of hunters in that prison that are just waiting for the chance to kill him?” Scott asked worriedly, and Isaac could hear the fear beneath his voice, the fear of losing another member of the pack after they had already lost Allison and had nearly lost Aiden.

“Yeah like that’s a cheerful thought. Want another? Malia reckons there’s something else in the forest, which smells bad, like blood.” He told his boyfriend and Scott suppressed a groan.

The last thing they needed was another creature in town, but as a thought occurred to him, he calmed down a little bit.

“She does realise how many people have died in that forest right?” he asked hopefully, and Isaac shrugged.

“I don't know, but she does have the best sense of smell out of all of us, so it might be worth checking out before we go back to school.” He reasoned and Scott nodded.

“Alright, we can have a look tomorrow, I really don't fancy going back out tonight. I do however fancy you.” Scott said seductively, and kissed Isaac, who moaned a little and allowed Scott to push him back onto the bed, Scott smiling as he held himself above Isaac.

“Scott...” Isaac said teasingly, and Scott kissed him to shut him up, nuzzling him with his nose.

“No you don't, you’re staying in here where you belong, with me.” He said huskily into Isaac’s ear and Isaac stroked his cheek, looking excited and happy, but also kind of pleading.

“Look, it’s not the sleeping with you I don't like, far from it. I just don't like having to wake up early and go back into my room before your mom gets home. She’s trusting us remember.” He reminded him, and Scott did consider that.

When it had become clear that the two of them had fixed their myriad issues and were finally, completely and totally back together, Melissa had sat them down and had set ground rules. Realising she was facing a battle against not only two normal hormonal teenagers, but hormonal teenager werewolves, she had been fairly lenient in her demands but Isaac, as he wasn’t the permanent resident, was afraid that if Melissa caught them both at something, or in bed together when they shouldn’t be then he would be asked to leave, despite Scott assuring him that if she asked anyone to leave it would probably be him. She had also threatened to take Scott to Deaton and get him neutered which had caused both boys to react differently, Scott more with fear than anything else because she definitely hadn't been kidding, and Isaac with anger, which the very mention of the vet’s name seemed to cause now that he knew his complicity in his and Scott’s breakup.

“Don't you want to stay with me?” Scott asked in a baby, pouting voice, and Isaac reached up, running his fingers through the back of Scott’s hair and he pulled himself up to kiss Scott gently.

“Of course I do, I just don't want to get up so early and go to my own bed where you, well, aren't.” He moaned a little, and Scott had to admit, he did see why Isaac was getting a bit fed up of it.

One he didn't like lying (well not really lying but omitting certain truths) from Melissa and was afraid of whatever punishment would occur if she found out the two of them were virtually sleeping together. And two, he didn't like being the one who had to move, and he always struggled to get back to sleep after he went back to his own bed. And what was more, he was always cold and he was having to get up at four or five in the morning in order to get into his own bed before Melissa got home.

Scott leaned back on his haunches and smiled a little at the sad disappointed look Isaac gave him, and Scott then grinned.

“Well, how about we start swapping? Some nights I can come and cuddle you in your own bed, and then you can stay nice and warm and might get back to sleep while I sneak back through here?” he asked hopefully, and Isaac considered it and grinned.

“I can see that working.” He purred and stripped his black tshirt off and Scott licked his lip in pleasure as he kissed Isaac, forcing him back down onto the bed, hand stroking over Isaac’s bare chest, rubbing down to his stomach and coming to a stop at the top of his jeans.

“You know, your boss is truly the most inspired man I’ve ever met, deciding that your uniform should be just black because god you look hot in black.” He whispered into his ear, and Isaac grinned up at him playfully.

“And he’s much better than your boss because him and his wife encourage me to date you.” He said happily and then sat up abruptly, making Scott look at him in confusion.

But his confusion evaporated as Isaac pulled Scott’s own top off, placing a kiss on Scott’s abs with Scott giving a little shudder of pleasure as he did it. Scott then stroked his hand through Isaac’s styled dark blond hair, Isaac’s hands moving towards Scott’s jeans, making a little whimpering noise in his throat, Scott left in no disillusion as to what he was after, grinning and tilting his head back, allowing his boisterous boyfriend to undo his jeans and pull them, and his boxers, down, revealing his cock.

“Huh, it’s going to be that way then? Ok, two can play at this game.” Scott said, kissing Isaac’s neck and as Isaac titled his head back, Scott kissed down his body to his jeans, pulling them off in a flourish, also getting the boxers and grinned cockily at Isaac, who quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Hey, easy on the goods or suffer the wrath of Lydia.” He warned, and Scott bowed his head apologetically.

“You know, that shopping trip she took you on is the only reason I’ve not had a go at her for what she’s doing to Aiden.” He told him, lying beside him and stroking his hair, as Isaac snuggled into Scott’s chest, kissing it as he did so.

“That’s a shame on Aiden. Besides, I didn't think you liked the clothes she helped me buy.” He said mischievously, and Scott looked at him in surprise.

“What makes you think that?”

“Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you’re always trying to get them off me.” Isaac replied with a cocky grin and Scott nodded.

“Huh, that’s a good point. I like them on you too though. We need to cheer Aiden up.” He mused, and Isaac scowled.

“Yeah by kicking Lydia right up the-”

“Not that. I’ll think of something. Hey, tomorrow’s the last day of the holidays, how can we spend it?” Scott asked excitedly, and Isaac kissed him, stroking his cheek with his thumb.

“However you want, but only in the afternoon. Stiles and I are doing something in the morning.” He told him, and Scott let out a low, playful growl.

“He’s what?” he demanded and Isaac sighed in amusement.

“It was the Nogitsune! Let it go! He was possessed and I was in the process of being possessed. Besides,” he said, kissing Scott, his tongue slipping into Scott’s mouth gently, “it’s you I love.” He told him and that seemed to mollify Scott, who then affected a pout.

“Well what are you pair doing?” he asked, and Isaac grinned.

“Well it’s simple, he and I are plotting to kill you, take over the pack and become the rulers of Beacon Hills.” He said with an evil grin and Scott poked him in the chest.

“Hmm, interesting plan, but two things, one, what do you do with mom, and two, who warms you up at night?” he asked teasingly, and Isaac nuzzled him.

“Simple, she becomes the royal mother by default and lives in security for the rest of her days, and I get a dog!” he said brightly and Scott laughed.

“Ask a silly question. What are you doing?” he asked, and Isaac grinned maddeningly.

“You need to wait and see, you’ll find out tomorrow.” He told him, and Scott, genuinely interested now, looked at him curiously.

“Is this a surprise I’ll like?” he asked hopefully, and Isaac looked hesitant.

“I hope so.” He said nervously, which truly did arouse Scott’s curiosity.

“Huh, interesting. You know, Ethan’s taught me a few ways of making people talk!” he said suggestively, and Isaac grinned smugly.

“He also taught me how to resist such techniques.” He boasted, and Scott pinned Isaac, hanging over him, and he kissed Isaac’s jaw.

“Well, let’s see who he taught best then shall we?” he asked as Isaac protested in amusement as Scott began his interrogation.

 

XX

 

The Oni turned as one, their evil yellow eyes glowing and he watched in horror as one embedded its sword in Allison’s stomach, her surprised gasp signifying the end of her life. The demon pulled the sword from her as she toppled to the floor, her painted fingers twitching then going still as the life was snuffed out of her.

There was then a furious roar as the twins leapt from the room of the internment camp, landing and bodily throwing the two Oni closest to the fallen huntress, but before they could do anything to help, Aiden’s eyes widened in shock and pain, flickering blue as an Oni stabbed him right through the chest, Ethan screaming as his brother fell face first, bleeding out, his black blood staining Allison’s pale white hand.

There was a scream and he watched in horror as a frantic Lydia tried to escape from another Oni, who sliced her tendons dropping her to the floor, but she wasn’t to be deterred, trying to crawl away but the demon simply stabbed her right through the back, pinning her in place, her pale face looking at him helplessly.

An aggrieved cry came from behind him and he span in time to see the Oni dispatch Chris with a vicious cut right through the chest, Derek trying to protect him, but they came at him from both sides, four demons using the older wolf as a pincushion and stabbing him repeatedly, his beaten body topping to the ground.

Ethan was trying to raise his brother but a demon then smoked into existence behind him and as Ethan begged Aiden to move, the demon sliced across Ethan’s neck, dropping his lifeless body onto his brother’s, blood gushing from the wound.

Two roars then echoed and he could see Isaac rushing to defend his fallen packmates, Scott right behind him, Kira appearing from nowhere, her sword at the ready. An Oni smoked in front of her, raising its sword and she barely blocked it, the demon forcing her back, the kitsune defending wildly, Scott stopping and heading to save her, but he was too late as the Oni knocked the blade away and stabbed her right in the stomach, then slashed outwards, Kira dead before she reached the floor.

Scott rushed towards her but he then stopped, turning in alarm to see an Oni thrust a sparking cable into Isaac’s back, Scott screaming in terror as Isaac shuddered and screamed as he was electrocuted, sparks flying all around him, his skin glowing blue and his eyes rolled back as his smoking body dropped to the floor in a heap.

Scott then leapt towards the demon who killed his boyfriend only to land right on its sword, and gurgled in pain, before the demon pulled the blade from him and slashed his head, Scott’s body dropping to the floor.

He wanted to scream, this couldn't be happening, and all of the pack’s dead staring eyes turned to him as one, and Allison looked at him, her unseeing eyes boring deep into his soul.

“This is you, you did this, you killed us!” she screeched and he screamed in denial, blubbering weak pathetic apologies, after all, they were dead because of him, what could he do to make this better?

“We died for you!” Aiden snarled, as he and his brother’s dead gazes were levelled at him in accusation.

“All of us, for what?” Lydia demanded, blood coming from her mouth.

“For you, a weak human who doesn't do anything?” Derek growled, black blood running from his mouth and eye sockets.

“Why couldn't it have been you?” Isaac, eyes white, demanded.

“You got us all killed Stiles, come on, join us, feel our pain!” Scott insisted and as his dead friends got to their feet, all of them grasping towards him, he screamed, panicking.

“STILES!” a voice yelled in his ear and with a jolt he woke up to see Malia hanging over him, sweat running off of him, tears streaming from his eyes, his entire body shaking as he tried to remind himself that he was back in reality.

“Malia? Where did you come from?” he croaked, and she looked towards the window which she had obviously climbed in through, his entire body still shaking.

“Where do you think? Are you ok?” she asked, and he nodded weakly, shivering.

Malia looked at her boyfriend, his form shaking, clearly terrified, his skin pale, tears streaming from his eyes and she just sat beside him, waiting until he was ready to talk to her as his body shook and he took deep breaths to try and get himself back under control.

When she and Stiles had first started going out, they had avoided talking about everything that had happened, other than what they had done in Eichen House. But as time went on, Stiles had started telling her some of the stuff it had made him do, the guilt it had caused him, the things he had done to Lydia, to Scott, to Isaac. She had learned that he couldn't be rushed, and that if he wanted, if he needed, to talk to her then he would, and until then, she just had to wait till he was ready.

“It was the same dream.” He said, his voice shaking as she held his hand and she raised it to her mouth, kissing it gently.

“It’s just a dream though.” She said softly, stroking his hand and he shook his head.

“But it’s the same, every night I watch as everyone in the pack gets killed because of me, just like Allison did. It’s my fault she’s dead.” He mumbled, not looking at her and she kneeled in front of him, taking his face in her hands, and then started running one through his messy highlighted hair.

“You do remember who I am right? The girl who transformed and killed her sister and her mother when my mom crashed the car when I kind of ripped her apart? Stiles...why do you think I became a coyote? I was eight years old, and every night I saw myself ripping apart my mother, pulling at my dead sister to try and get her out the car. It...dulled it, being a coyote, well, the images weren’t in colour anymore, they were kind of toned down. With what happened to you, I’m not surprised you have nightmares. You were used as a puppet, you had no control, and because of the Nogitsune and Kira’s mother, you got caught up with the Oni. I never really met her, but I’m pretty sure Allison wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. No one else does.” She told him, and Stiles looked at her, as if he was going to snap at her, looking angry, but then his expression softened and he leaned in and kissed her.

“Thanks. I know you’re right, it’s just...”

“You’re insane, like Isaac said!” she said brightly, and Stiles gave her a mock scowl.

“I told you not to hang out with him, he plots against me.” He told her and she purred, stroking her hand up his bare chest, cocking her head curiously.

“And you don't plot against anyone? You’re a saint?” she asked playfully, wrapping her arms around his body and Stiles moaned in pleasure as she did it, though whimpered a little as he felt her claws growing.

Yeah, had to teach her to control that, his back was covered in scratches. She was pushy in bed too, but well, that wasn’t so bad.

“Oh yes, see, I’m the generally nice, down to earth kind of guy.” He said, kissing her neck and pulling her down as he laid back into the bed, pushing all thoughts of the nightmare out of his head.

“I seem to remember you being a little crazy.” She challenged, and Stiles kissed her, hand bunching in her hair and he grinned at her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah well so are you. Besides, we fell for each other, so we’re both clearly nutters. You going to tell me how you got in here?” he asked, and she looked at him as if he were crazy.

“I climbed up the drain pipe then came in the window like I usually do how else?” she asked, and he kissed her brow, running his hand through her hair.

“And what were you doing here?” he asked suspiciously, his eyes smouldering in amusement.

“Well, I wanted you. I wanted to have sex with you but you were having a nightmare.” She said frankly and Stiles was glad it was dark, even though she could see it, as he was blushing.

“Sweetie, remember that talk we had about being a little too frank?” he asked, and she pouted.

“So I shimmy up the drain pipe, come into your bedroom, stop you having a nightmare, see your nice body and you don't want to have sex?” she complained, and he kissed her nose.

“I never said that, I just said you don't need to announce it as much.” He said seductively, and started pulling off her clothes, the nightmare gone...but not forgotten.

 

XX

 

Isaac jerked awake, shivering. Some times when he slept with Scott, his dreams were much better. Other nights, like this one, all his mind seemed to want to do was replay Allison’s murder right in front of his eyes yet again. Scowling, he pulled himself out from Scott’s grasp, Scott moaning a little as he did so, and Isaac picked up the dressing gown Scott had given him when he first moved in, wrapped it around himself and headed into Scott’s shower room, standing in front of the mirror, running the water gently so as not to wake his boyfriend, and he splashed some water in his face, wrapping the dressing gown tight around his bare chest to stave off the cold.

Some nights really were better than others. He had gotten to the stage where the dreams about Allison’s death were the exception rather than the norm, but tonight, they seemed determined to haunt him all night.

He had loved her. At the time he had been so messed up, torn between his feelings for her and for Scott that he hadn't actually realised it until it was too late. He did love her. He hadn't thought he had, he thought he only loved Scott, but...now that she was gone it was kind of obvious that he did love her. And he had never told her. After, well after it, after her dying to save his worthless life, he had never had the chance to tell her that he loved her too, just like he loved Scott.

He couldn't get that image out of his head, he was trapped, about to die when she had shot the Oni about to kill him, destroying it, saving his life in the process. He had turned towards her, only to be able to watch helplessly as another demon ran her through with its sword, murdering her right in front of him.

She had died for him, and he so wasn’t worth that.

Whether he’d been woken by his absence, his own body getting cold, some other bodily function or was in some way mysteriously alerted to the fact that his boyfriend was crying silently, Scott was then behind him and was wrapping him in his arms tenderly, hushing him as he held him, his hand stroking gently through Isaac’s hair.

“I’m sorry.” Isaac whispered into Scott’s bare shoulder, and Scott pressed a kiss to his temple as he held his boyfriend.

“I miss her too.” Scott whispered into his ear and Isaac pulled away from him, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. It’s been three months and I still...I thought it would be better by now.” He complained and Scott looked at him with such tenderness that Isaac felt his heart melt a little.

“Isaac...she meant so much, to all of us, to both of us! You don't need to apologise for missing her. I miss her too. I still do.” He assured him, but Isaac turned away, and Scott suddenly had an inkling he knew what this was really about.

“I know you miss her, you and Lydia most of all miss her. You aren't still crying about her, you’re sad yeah but it’s not...” Isaac began and Scott gently wrapped his arm around Isaac’s stomach, feeling his cold skin beneath his dressing gown as he leaned his chin on Isaac’s shoulder.

“I am.” He whispered into his ear and Isaac’s slightly red eyes looked into the mirror to see Scott’s kind chocolate brown ones smouldering on his shoulder.

“Huh?”

Scott looked at him sadly, his hand rubbing up and down his back wearily.

“I’m not dealing with it any better than you are. I have the dreams about her too. I see her, every night, and I hear her every night. All of it, everything. I remember holding her as she died Isaac. I’m still just as much of a mess about her dying as you are. I miss her too. I’ve got the nightmares, and you’re not the only one who can’t keep it together in the middle of the night.” Scott whispered, and Isaac looked at his boyfriend in the mirror, realisation dawning on him.

“Those nights you disappear to the toilet for ages...” he whispered, and Scott nodded slowly.

“Yeah.” He confirmed, not meeting Isaac’s eyes and Isaac took his hand and kissed it.

“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked and Scott reached around and used his thumb to wipe away the last of Isaac’s tears.

“I figured you had enough to deal with without knowing I’m as much of a basket case as you are.” He said with a rueful smile and Isaac leaned his head back, Scott laying his forehead against his.

“Idiot. I miss her.” He whispered and Scott nodded, his eyes closed as he leaned his forehead against Isaac’s.

“I know. I do too.” He said softy, his arms wrapped around Isaac’s waist.

The two of them stood there silently for a while before Scott stirred, disturbing Isaac.

“Come on, come back to bed, and then we can get some more sleep before you sneak back into your own room.” He said, taking Isaac’s hand and leading him back to bed, both of their minds still focused on their lost loved one.

 

XX

 

Isaac smirked as he heard Scott singing ‘Little Talks’ to himself (Isaac’s favourite song) as he was in the shower. Yeah, this sneaking back into his own room thing was a drag, but still...it did make it slightly better knowing it was Scott he was sleeping with, he felt, well better about everything when he was sleeping with him.

He pulled on one of his few remaining long sleeved tshirts (between the Alphas and the Oni his wardrobe hadn't escaped unscathed) that he had left from moving her. He smiled fondly as he looked into the wardrobe, seeing the vastly needed collection of clothes that Lydia had taken him shopping for, ably assisted by Danny and Ethan (who did admit that some of Isaac’s clothes being wrecked was kind of his fault). There had been an ulterior motive to going on that shopping trip however. One, Lydia had needed a break from her endless campaign to get Malia to wear shoes, a war she was surely losing as the girl remained reluctant to ever put anything on her feet. He also seriously had needed new clothes, and besides, all of them needed to take their minds off, well everything.

But Isaac, with Scott’s agreement, had been trying to get Lydia to open up on why she was being the way she was with Aiden.

Lydia had changed. Allison’s murder at the hand of the Oni while the entire pack had been on a mission to save her from the clutches of the Nogitsune had had a severe effect on her, they all knew that, they all understood it. Ever since Allison had died, it was like she had slightly returned to form. Formerly the bitchy queen bee who cared only about popularity, her increasing involvement with the supernatural had brought out the kind, caring, strong side that no one, expect perhaps Jackson and Stiles, had suspected until then. But recently...

It wasn’t like she was pulling away, she remained perfectly friendly, and even kind and sweet with most of them. But, it was like there was an extra layer there now, an armour that was frigid and cold, an armour that she didn't want anyone to get past.

And she wanted Aiden to get past it the least of all.

All that time he had been in hospital and she hadn't been to see him once, she hadn't talked to him, hadn't even asked Ethan or any of the other pack members (heck even Malia visited him and she had never even met him before, but considering Stiles had been there the same time and they had vanished for quite some time that might not have been purely a mercy mission) about him, but yet when he had gotten out of hospital, she had been right there at the twins apartment and quickly made Aiden forget he was kind of hurt and angry with her, but since then, she had been pulling away from him, leaving a confused and angry Aiden wondering just what it was he had done to upset her and was clueless how to fix it.

Stiles however reckoned she was more at fault than he was, something which no one else had contradicted.

So, while Isaac and his eager accomplices (Danny and Ethan (though Ethan was more concerned with stopping her from hurting his twin in case it brought out his murderous impulses again, he was already spending worrying amounts of time playing Grand Theft Auto V and going on rampages through the game as it was since he wasn’t killing real people)) had failed to learn anymore as to why Lydia was keeping them all and Aiden in particular at arm’s length, they had had a successful shopping trip nonetheless.

While Scott had stayed with Aiden (on his mother’s orders, just to make sure Aiden had really healed properly) and had been joined by Kira in order to play video games (something both boys regretted as she had schooled them royally), the rest of the pack had embarked upon their shopping trip.

Stiles had asked Danny and Ethan for some advice and had disappeared, and when he had returned he had had the golden highlights in his hair, to which they all approved, well they assumed Malia did as she had leapt into his arms and had kissed him boisterously, Stiles moaning in slight protest then enjoyment. Eventually it was only Ethan forcibly separating them that had prevented them from getting thrown out.

Lydia, restored to her kingdom, had then led the entire pack, to Danny’s despair, clothes shopping, and once more acting as the big sister he had never wanted, she had pried Isaac from the clutches of Danny and Ethan and had also pried away Malia, leaving the two young lovers to deal with a slightly bummed Stiles.

He and Malia had fun however together, firstly watching Lydia’s increasing desperation as she tried to convince Malia to at least try on a pair of shoes. Malia however had remained stubbornly defiant and in the end, beaten and knowing it, Lydia had flounced off to try some perfumes while Isaac and Malia laughed at her impotence.

However, determined to at least make up for one loss, she had then turned her attentions to Isaac, leaving him trapped in her clutches and wishing vaguely he could escape and check out the game and comic shop, but one steely look from her had warned him against that idea and so he had gone with her in relative good grace, a barefoot and cheerful Malia following them while sniffing around hopefully for a sign of Stiles and the others.

All in all, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, he found a couple of pairs of shoes (which was handy since he had gotten his job a week and a half later), some more jeans and trousers, and some long sleeved tshirts and some normal shirts. It was only when Lydia was distracted by a type of lipstick that she liked being on deal that he had managed to find the thing that had made the entire trip worth it.

Scarf necked tops.

Scarves. Ready built, into a top.

The most awesome thing ever.

So what, he liked scarves, he didn't care.

Let loose and left to his own devices, he was actually quite successful. It was only the sounds of Stiles berating Lydia that had drawn him back to the others, hands filled with numerous scarf necked tops and a few more scarves (you could never have too many scarves) and upon seeing Isaac, Stiles had immediately berated her all the more, telling her that letting him get away from her when they were so close to anything to do with scarves was a fatal error and was like giving a kid the keys to the candy store, trying to ignore Danny, Malia and Ethan laughing at him.

However, despite the success of the shopping trip and the genuinely good feeling he got from hanging out with Ethan and Danny, they were still no closer to finding out why Lydia was being the way she was being, and it was very annoying.

As he considered which scarf he should wear, there was a knock at the door and a tired Melissa came in, yawning.

“Morning honey.” She said, looking tired and wan.

“Morning. What’s up?” he asked cheerfully, pulling his dark green scarf out of his closet.

“I need you to move out.” She said, while stifling another yawn, and Isaac felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as he turned to her in shock.

She knew, she had to know, and she’d had enough, she wanted him gone, but where could he go, Derek was in prison, and he needed a legal guardian, and Scott was here, he couldn't leave Scott, not now when they were going so good. He thought they had been at least getting away with it but she had known and now she wanted him out of the house, she wanted him gone, he had started to think...she had said she loved him, but now she wanted him gone, was sleeping with Scott that bad that she wanted him gone completely?

“I’m sorry! What did I do wrong, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again...” he babbled, and Melissa looked at him in confusion before her sleep deprived brain kicked into gear and it clicked.

“Oh no! No no no no! Calm down sweetie, ok, deep breath, calm down!” she begged as he seemed close to having a panic attack, “please try to calm down, he can smell your mood at fifty yards and he will kill me! I don't mean I want you to move out the house, I just need you to move out of this room!” she explained, and he took a shuddering breath as she rubbed circles on his back to calm him down.

“Really?” he asked hopefully, and she smiled wearily.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung that on you like that, you were bound to think the worst. I don't want you to move out, partly because I can’t face Scott being totally miserable all the time,” she admitted, and he grinned a little, “but I do need you to move out of this room.” She explained, and he nodded, looking around at the various amounts of stuff he had accumulated the last few months.

“Um, ok, but why? And where am I suppose to go?” he asked, and she gave him a shrewd smile.

“Isaac Lahey, you and I both know that this bed here,” she said, only half stern, nodding at the bed he was meant to sleep in, “has hardly been slept in since you and Scott got back together.”

Isaac felt himself going pink.

“Oh...you know about that?” he asked in shock and she smiled.

“How do you think I hid boys from my mother? That tricks even older than she is buster. Anyway, yes I know.” She confirmed and Isaac laughed nervously.

“Um...if you know then why didn't-?” he mumbled and she gave him a coy look.

“Well, I was working under the theory that if I keep my mouth shut you’ll do the same.” She told him and he grinned.

Yeah that could work.

“Deal. Besides...I kind of want to see how long it will take Scott to figure it out without my help. Malia’s the same with Stiles. I mean, we expect it from Scott but surely Stiles would have noticed you and his dad are dating?” he asked, and she smiled enigmatically.

“I think Malia’s been keeping him occupied. Anyway, my mother’s coming for a visit so I kind of need this room.” She explained, and he did look satisfied by that explanation.

“Oh, ok. But where am I?” he began, and she sighed a little.

“Like I said, this bed has hardly been slept in. Now I know I’m going to sound like an irresponsible parent, but I thought you could move into Scott’s room for a while, just while mom’s here. How does that sound?” she asked and he beamed.

“Awesome, deal.” He said cheerfully but she raised a finger at him.

“But hey, same rules still apply. No monkey business. You can bunk with him though while she’s here ok?” she asked, and he nodded, meekly.

“Sure, got it.” He said politely and she petted his cheek.

“You’re a good boy. And let’s face it, we both know you’re the one at least trying to play by the rules. Keep it up ok, no funny business, but yes, you can stay with him while mom’s here, then you can move back in here. Somehow I doubt he’ll disapprove.” She lamented and he grinned, and he hugged her before she got to her feet.

“You’re awesome.” He whispered and she hugged him back fiercely.

“I know I am. Alright, can you two hop it once you’ve cleared your stuff out of here so I can get some sleep?” she asked hopefully and he nodded.

“Course. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me.” He assured her and she smiled a little.

“And I will continue to pretend I know nothing. Thanks honey.” She said and left the room.

It wasn’t until she was in her own bed, about to doze off when it hit her how absurd the entire thing was. She had already had two horny young loved up werewolves who were hopelessly in love with each other in the same house, and here she was putting them in the same room.

“I must be crazy.” She complained as she beat her pillow into a decent shape and curled up to go to sleep.

 

XX

 

Peter opened the door to his apartment, the smell of must and dust somehow smelling like victory. Three months it had been since he had last set foot in Beacon Hills, and all this time he had been planning for this moment, and it was finally time to return here and begin fresh.

He had everything he needed, power, allies and the weapons he needed to assure his victory.

He had the things he needed to rip apart Scott’s pack. The little true Alpha pup wasn’t fit to be an Alpha, and now he was in the position to end it.

After all...he was always the Alpha.

Smirking to himself, he crossed to his dresser and pulled open the cabinet, fetching himself a bottle of malt.

After all, he was celebrating.

Celebrating his return to being an Alpha.

 

XX

 

“Scott thinks we’re up to something.” Isaac commented as they sat in the tattoo parlour, and Stiles, who had been trying to doze off, sent him a dirty look.

“You didn't tell him what we were doing did you? I mean if he thinks I so much as look at you funny he’ll kick my ass from here to next year.” He complained and Isaac sighed patiently.

“Will you give it a rest? He’s fine ok? And besides, Melissa distracted him, his grandmother’s coming.” He informed him as he flicked curiously through the tattoo magazines.

Stiles perked up as he heard this, looking at Isaac curiously.

“Really? Which one, Melissa’s mother or his dads?” he asked, the last one sounding distinctly unpleasant.

“Melissa’s why?” he asked and Stiles grinned.

“Awesome, nanna McCall coming to visit, you’ll love her.” He told him, but to his surprise, Isaac looked slightly nervous.

“Yeah well, I’m not so sure she’ll love me, after all, I’m kind of sleeping with her grandson.” He said worriedly, and Stiles chuckled and patted Isaac’s knee.

“You don't need to worry buddy, she won’t give a shit. She never does. She took Scott and I shopping with her once when we were fourteen, we met Danny, it was just after Danny came out, Scott blurted it out as usual, and she took him shopping too since she reckoned he looked kind of down, didn't give a shit. She did blame Jackson though for him looking so down which was a bonus.” He said cheerfully, but then he noticed Isaac’s scrutinising look.

“What?” he asked defensively.

“You look tired, are you ok?” Isaac asked, and Stiles considered denying it out of hand.

After all, it was Scott he told this sort of stuff to, not Isaac. Yeah Isaac was his other best friend, but there was more, well just more, they were just closer, told each other more. He told Isaac some stuff, but they weren’t as close as he and Scott were. But when he looked at Isaac, his face worried and tired looking as his own was, he relented.

After all, if anyone could get how he was feeling, it was Isaac, who blamed himself as much as he did. The only other one with the same amount of guilt was Lydia but she was kind of withdrawn from them all nowadays.

“Yeah, well, mostly. I had the dream last night.” He said significantly, and Isaac sighed sadly.

“Yeah me too. Sucks doesn't it?” he asked, and Stiles nodded, his eyes clouded.

“Yeah it does. It’s Allison the most, she just falls and I...it’s my fault.” Stiles whispered and Isaac looked at him sadly.

“Yeah, we all think that buddy.” He whispered and Stiles looked at him desperately.

“Yeah but it was me Isaac, I was the...”

Isaac shook his head insistently.

“No you weren’t. You had no control, and by that time it was pure Nogitsune.” Isaac told him softly, but Stiles looked miserably out of the window.

“Doesn't change that she’s dead because of me.” He whispered softly, and Isaac was about to say something when the big bearded bloke who had done Scott’s tattoo emerged from the back room.

“Alright, who’s first?” he asked, and Isaac nodded his head at Stiles, who sent him a betrayed look but got up regardless.

Isaac smiled a little, after all this had been his idea, as a sort of bookend to the entire Nogitsune thing he had decided he was going to get a tattoo. Isaac was also very curious to see what happened here, the pack had suspected for some time that there were some...well extras from having been possessed and he was interested to see if Stiles was entirely free of the damned thing or if there were leftovers in him. He knew they weren’t enough to be dangerous but they were still there, and it made him...uneasy.

“So are you the one who wants the backwards five on your shoulder?” the tattooist asked, and Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, it’s Japanese, it means...self.” he said nervously as he sat down in the chair and Isaac briefly wondered if he should head over and he didn't know, hold his hand or something.

However, as the tattooist got his equipment ready, Stiles took a deep steadying breath and after a little bit of hesitation, offer is left shoulder to the guy, who happily began to imprint the tattoo onto his skin, the curve of the five coming from the top of his arm and going up by his neck, and then going over by the back of the shoulder and going to the back of his neck. Isaac was watching him intently, but other than a couple of little winces, he did manage without incident, Isaac watching for anything that looked pain (Scott would kill him if Stiles got hurt) and also anything that looked vaguely Nogitsune.

And he could well understand the reasoning behind it. After the fight for his soul, to keep his identity and to stop the Nogitsune, he could understand why Stiles wanted to kind of honour the fight he had went under to keep control of himself, hence his tattoo.

With a final wince and with the dressings in place Stiles, smiling a little hopped off the seat, smiling proudly, and Isaac grinned in amusement.

“See, nothing to it.” He told Isaac and Isaac scowled at him.

“Easy for you to say you’re not going to have a psychotic twin blow torching you later.” He mumbled and he too got onto the chair, and the tattooist gave him a cheerful grin.

“So, what is it you’re after?” he asked, and Isaac exchanged a significant look with Stiles, who went a little red, gave him a rueful grin and then continued two avoid his gaze.

“Two lightning bolts around my arm, with an arrow head at the bottom of one of them.” Isaac said, showing him the sketch he had done, and the tattooist nodded.

“Got it. Alright, let’s get started.”

 

XX

 

“Is it me or did he enjoy that far too much?” Isaac moaned, rubbing his tattoo ruefully and Stiles grinned as he drove them to the station to meet Scott.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to become a werewolf, bet you would have reconsidered if you knew you’d have a psycho murderer twin coming at you with a blow torch.” He quipped and Isaac shot him a dirty look.

“Shut up you. Alright for you, you don't need it blown on to make it stick.” He whined, and Stiles looked determinedly ahead, under the guise of trying to change lane.

He hadn't told Isaac this but when he had gone back through to the other room to allow Ethan to give his professional opinion (he was the one who had swiped the blowtorch from his work to help Isaac with his tattoo) and Stiles had checked the coast was clear before he had distracted Aiden from playing with said blow torch.

_“Hey...want another shot at that?” he asked softly, distracting a grinning Aiden from shooting fire in front of his face._

_“Huh?” Aiden asked and Stiles shot him an exasperated look._

_“Hey, you pair only have a few months left here and the landlady likes you, something makes me thing she won’t like you quite as much if you burn the bloody place down! Anyway...look.” Stiles said, and pulled off the dressings on his tattoo, Aiden putting down the blowtorch with only a slight look of disappointment and he peered at Stiles’ kanji tattoo._

_It was still mostly intact, but the edges of it had begun to heal, some of it had vanished already, and he had to use his wolf eyes to see where the tattoo had originally gone to,_

_“Can you help fix it?” Stiles asked hopefully, and Aiden looked at him in shock._

_“Stiles, you’re not a wolf! You’re not meant to heal like that, and besides, one my Alpha would kill me and I kind of like being his friend and his Beta and his favourite, and two, it would really hurt you!” he hissed, and Stiles shook his head, and picked up the blow torch, and then gently placed a hand over Aiden’s mouth. Aiden looked at him worriedly, and then his eyes bulged in alarm as Stiles scorched his hand with the torch. Stiles let out a small moan of pain and pulled away the burned hand, and to Aiden’s shock some of it already started to heal._

_“You’re not meant to do that, why are you healing? The Nogitsune is gone, well it better be since I almost died to make sure it was.” Aiden snarled angrily, and Stiles petted his cheek reassuringly._

_“It’s gone. According to Kira, there’s some leftovers from the Nogitsune. It’s gone. But some of it is still...in me.” He told him, and Aiden snarled in frustration, looking at him worriedly._

_“Have you told Scott? I don't want to keep anything from him.” He complained, and Stiles rolled his eyes._

_“Now you sound like Isaac. Please.” He begged, and Aiden sighed in frustration._

_“Alright...but this better not kill you! And...only because I want to play with the torch again.” He warned and Stiles nodded, and Aiden a little too cheerfully stuck a gag in his mouth, grinned as he turned on the torch again but then changed his expression to one of worry and concern as he let loose the flame on Stiles, hating himself as Stiles tried to scream through his gag._

Yeah this Nogitsune lark was having a hell of a serious side effect. He knew he had to talk to Scott about it, but...he didn't want to. He couldn't, not yet. Scott was finally relaxing around him again, no longer fretting about him and making sure he was alright. He wouldn’t be the one to put Scott back on the worried defensive again, not now, especially with Derek in prison and his grandmother coming, and his own reaction to Allison dying.

Quite frankly he had enough on his plate without him adding to it.

“Hey, you with me?” Isaac asked as Stiles stopped them outside the station, to see an impatient Scott looking slightly grumpy standing outside it.

“Yeah, sorry. Aww look there’s the soppy expression of love from our resident wolf on campus.” He said teasingly, and Isaac swatted at him as he got out the jeep, Stiles giggling as he did so.

“Finally, grandma’s train is about to get in! Where have you pair been?” he asked irritably and Isaac kissed him softly, grinning and stroking his cheek with his thumb.

“Aww do you not like me leaving you out the loop?” he asked in a voice of mock sweetness and Scott pouted.

“No!” he complained and Isaac kissed him again.

“Aww poor Scott.” He said in a mock pitying voice while Stiles snickered, enjoying himself just as much as Isaac was.

“Wait, so I don't get to find out what you two have been up to?” he demanded, and Isaac smirked.

“Yeah, but not till later. Since I’m forced to move in with my gorgeous pouty boyfriend, I need to keep as much to myself as possible. You’ll find out tonight I promise.” Isaac assured him and Scott looked at them suspiciously before sighing in defeat.

“Be that way then, see if I care,” he moaned, his tone indicating that it was driving him mad not knowing, “and let’s go see grandma.” He said as he led them into the station.

The train was just coming into the station as the three boys stood there, two of them perfectly at ease, the other nervous. Sensing his boyfriend’s anxiety, Scott took his hand and squeezed it softly, hushing him.

“Hey, mom loves you and I love you. Grandma will too.” He assured him but Isaac looked at him worriedly.

“Yeah but you’re my boyfriend, what if she blames me?” he asked nervously, and Stiles patted his shoulder.

“I told you she doesn't care! She’s cool. And anway, she’s coming to visit, I’m so psyched.” He said excitedly, and Scott looked at him as though worried about his sanity.

“You know mom always thought you had a crush on her,” he said, and Isaac and Stiles, who were both fully aware that Aiden had a kind of crush on Melissa, avoided each other’s eyes, “but now I’m beginning to think it’s grandma you have the crush on.”

“Hey, I don't have any grandparents, she’s the best and only one I got. And besides, your nan is a right old witch.” He told him and Scott scoffed.

“What do you expect, she gave birth to dad. That’s the one you want to avoid.” He told Isaac, who looked slightly overwhelmed as Scott and Stiles both perked up as they looked at the train.

“I miss playing on trains.” Isaac mumbled a little as Scott dragged him through the crowd, Stiles right beside him.

The woman was just a little shorter than Isaac was, though that was partly due to the heels she was wearing. She was dressed in a pink top and a business suit, and had long two toned brown hair which was beginning to be flecked with grey. She had a large handbag in one hand and her case in the other and upon seeing Scott and Stiles approaching, her face split into a wide smile.

“There’s my handsome grandson.” She said happily and Scott grinned, hugging her fiercely.

“Hey grandma!” he said fondly, and she patted his cheek fondly, her eyes scrutinising him as though he were sickening for something. Apparnetly satisfied, she nodded, and reached into her bag.

“You didn't think I’d come to visit without going to the sweet shop first do you? Besides, there was a deal and who am I to pass up a bargain? Anyway, one bag of white chocolate raspberries for my favourite grandson, and I’ve been knitting dear, I have gloves, a scarf and a hat, what do you want?” she asked as she rummaged in her bag.

“Grandma...” Scott chided slightly (noticing Isaac perked up a little at the mere mention of the word scarf) but she waved her hand dismissively as she passed him his sweets and a pair of knitted gloves with pads on the palms.

“It took a while but I got there in the end. Oh and there’s something in them that might be helpful, I picked up a couple, free at the doctor’s surgery you know.” She told him and curious, Scott looked inside the glove and went scarlet.

“Grandma!” he cried, scandalised, and upon him pulling the two items out, looking horror-struck, Isaac and Stiles started to laugh as he went scarlet.

“Stiles oh its so good to see you honey. Ooh I like this, gold highlights, they suit you dear. One bag of blue candy chocolate shells, just don't tell your dad I gave you them, he’ll blame me for making you hyper. Here dear, you take the hat, and there’s a couple in there for you too.” She advised as she rummaged in her bag again, passing Stiles his things in the process, Scott sniggering as Stiles also went scarlet.

“Um how do you...” Stiles asked and she sent him a bored look.

“Pumpkin I was changing you both when your dad still had long hippie hair, I can make an educated guess. Oh hello, you’re new. Nice to meet you, I’m Allegra Delgado, Scott’s grandmother.” Allegra said with a smile and she extended her hand to a nervous Isaac, who shook it, his hand shaking a little.

“Hi.” He said shyly, not quite knowing what to do with himself, and she peered into her bag.

“Hmm, do you like coconut macaroons, there’s a new bag of raspberry flavoured ones, here you are, I won’t eat them, the coconut gives me an itch. And here, why don't you take this scarf, Scott never wears them.” Allegra said cheerfully, and Isaac blushed a little.

“That’s you on the Christmas list, you gave him a scarf, he’s yours for life now.” Stiles muttered and Scott sent him an amused glare to shut him up.

“You don't need to,” he began but her steely expression made it clear she wasn’t taking no for an answer, “but, thanks. Hey this scarf is great, it’s lovely and warm.” He said, trying it on and Scott and Stiles both smirked as they saw him put it on.

“Good. So, how do you fit into all this? Oh,” she said, and leaned close to whisper to Isaac, “I didn't know there was another of you, and I don't know your sizes or I would have brought you some too, you’re a handsome young lad.” She said, and Isaac went pink.

“I’m sure you and he can come to some sort of arrangement...ow son of a bitch!” Stiles grunted as Scott kicked him in the shin.

“So dear, do I get to know your name?” she asked hopefully, and Isaac’s brain suddenly kicked into gear and he tumbled over his tongue as he tried to answer, but Scott came to his rescue...or so he thought.

“Grandma, this is Isaac. He’s, he’s my boyfriend.” Scott said, earning him a surprised look from Stiles and a look that roughly translated to ‘why the hell did you tell her that’ from Isaac.

And Allegra focused her gaze on the boy her grandson was now seeing, and Isaac gulped audibly.

He was going to kill Scott.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with the second part of episode 1, I know theres still not much going on but the first episode is a kind of a doss action wise anyway. 
> 
> Aiden is a little too fond of that blowtorch, slightly worrying...
> 
> Anyway thank you for all the kudos and comments, please keep them coming and enjoy!


	5. Episode 1: Territory Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grandma makes herself at home, a new enemy presents itself, Melissa considers her options, and the pack attends tryouts for the new sport teams

Two-Pack II

 

Allegra looked at Isaac for a moment, not saying anything and Scott began to wonder if he did the right thing by telling her. She was his grandmother, and she never really seemed to care about much like this, but well, maybe he should have talked it over with Isaac first, who was now standing looking like he was a deer caught in headlights as he waited for her to respond.

And then, to Scott’s great relief, she smiled and shook Isaac’s hand.

“Well, he kept that one quiet. Well it’s nice to meet you Isaac. A boyfriend eh? You know your mother...hmm, better not tell you that or she’ll hide the biscuits for my midnight nibbles. Well dear, I’m gagging for a cup of tea, what do you say we get home?” Allegra asked, and before she could protest a very relieved Isaac picked up her case.

“Yeah...um...” Scott said nervously and his grandmother fixed him with a steely glare.

“Sweetheart, I’m not dear granny Mildred, I don't live in the dark ages. He seems a very handsome very nice young man. And I have to say, I always wondered about you and Stiles anyway. Oh thank you Isaac, now, while this pair stutter about what I just said, how about you lead me out of here and tell me a little about yourself?” she asked, and a grinning Isaac, delighted at seeing Scott and Stiles splutter in disbelief at her comment, led the way from the station, the two of them chatting fluently.

“She wondered about us?” Stiles protested weakly, and Scott sagged a little in disbelief.

“Apparently she did. At least she likes Isaac. And has won his undying loyalty by giving him a scarf.” Scott lamented slightly and Stiles shook his head.

“Told you dude, it’s an unhealthy obsession. But yeah, she seems to like him but she has just met him and once she finds out he’s a sarcastic bastard...” he began and Scott cut him off with amused glare.

“She likes you and you’re a sarcastic bastard as well. Hang on...they’re alone, there’s no telling what she might be telling him.” He told him worriedly, and Stiles followed him as he hurried to catch up with his boyfriend and grandmother.

“Yes Melissa did say someone was staying with her. Isaac relax, as long as you and Scott are happy I couldn't care less what goes on between you. Hmm, well maybe what I brought Scott...”

“Grandma!” Scott chided and she rolled her eyes but winked at a giggling Isaac as Scott came up beside them, Stiles in tow.

“You know him and his mother never let me have any fun.” She complained as Stiles unlocked the jeep, Allegra patting it fondly.

“We let you raid the biscuit tin.” Scott offered and she smiled as she clambered into the seat behind Stiles.

“Lucky me.” She responded as she shut the door and Stiles got into the driver’s seat, leaving Scott and Isaac alone.

And Scott then whimpered a little in pain as Isaac squeezed his ass with his claws out, eyes glowing a faint gold in annoyance.

“How about next time you decide to take us out the closet, you give me a little warning?” he hissed, though there was no real annoyance in his voice, just a slight irritation and Scott hit him with his puppy dog look.

“Aww Isaac! I just wanted her to like you, and besides, I knew she would be fine with it. But I’m sorry I sprang it on you ok? How about,” he asked coyly, kissing Isaac’s nose, watching as Isaac defused, “you give me a clue to what you and Stiles were doing and laugh at the torment I endure trying to figure it out?” he asked brightly, and Isaac grinned darkly.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you? Well tough luck, I’m not spilling, you won’t find anything out till later for that so there.” He taunted and got into the back, leaving an annoyed Scott standing outside with his grandmother rapping on the window, pointing to her watch.

“I knew I should have just let the two of them keep bickering, it’s easier.” He complained without heat and got into the car.

With all of them safely in the jeep, Stiles drove them from the car park, allowing Allegra to settle into her seat comfortably.

“So Scott, what’s new with you?” she asked, and then grinned as she looked at Isaac, “other than Isaac of course.”

The next ten minutes were filled with the three of them giving Allegra the bare bones of the last few months, obviously omitting any reference to the supernatural, Allegra commenting on the incident at the hospital and upon hearing Isaac had been the only survivor immediately questioned him on why on earth he hadn't just stayed away from the electrified water and Stiles kind of jerked the jeep a little as Isaac mentioned that he had been trying to save Allison.

Allegra, her instincts honed by years of being a police woman, a mother and a grandmother, immediately picked up on something changing in the three boys as soon as Allison’s name was mentioned. Scott was watching her in the mirror, her face shrewd and calculating, running through the options in her head as to what could have caused this reaction. She was looking appraisingly at Isaac, and Scott could smell her acceptance and fondness for him increasing upon hearing he had been saving a life but sensed that he too was crumbling a little.

“Scott?” she asked hesitantly, a horrible sense of foreboding growing in her stomach.

“Yeah?” he asked, feeling the scared look Stiles was giving him and the pleading one Isaac was drilling into the back of his head.

“Where’s Allison? What happened?” she asked, dreading the answer.

When you had been in the force as long as she had been, you picked up on things and there was one thing you could never not pick up on, the death of a loved one.

“She...we were attacked. And the attacker’s...they killed her.” Scott whispered, almost silent, but it was enough for Allegra to hear and she closed her eyes in dismay.

Allison, her grandson’s first love, was dead. She was so young, she hadn't even turned eighteen yet, yet she was dead at the hands of some random attacker. She shook her head grimly, resenting the world that would take such a lovely, vibrant young woman from it. She had met Allison a few times, and had been very pleased with the girl who Scott had so obviously fallen in love with, heart and soul. She had been lovely, pretty, independent, and in her humble opinion, a rather kickass good match for her baby boy.

And now she was gone.

“Oh baby I’m so sorry.” She said softly, reaching across and squeezing his shoulder as he looked determinedly out at the traffic.

But the reactions of both Stiles and Isaac were also curious to her, but realising how much this was hurting them she decided to drop the subject and let the rest of the drive pass silently.

Pulling up at the house, Allegra managed a smile as she saw her tired daughter leaving her beat up old car and upon seeing her mother, she wrapped her in a fond hug.

“You look buggered. Shall we just skip the tea and go right to the wine?” Allegra asked and Melissa laughed as she watched all three of her boys head into the house, the cloud of despair hanging over them.

Her mother had mentioned Allison. She had debated with herself about whether or not she should tell her mother but had decided not to do so over the phone, it wasn’t the sort of thing you told someone over the phone in her opinion.

“It looks like we have a lot to talk about.” Allegra said grimly and Melissa nodded sadly.

“Yeah we do.”

 

XX

 

Darkness had fallen on Beacon Hills and the moon was glimmering in the sky. For once, the forest seemed quiet. Malia was at home, trying desperately to get a handle on the Maths textbook with the help of her equally beffudled father, and no new smells were disturbing them as they looked at each other, equally clueless.

In their penthouse apartment with the rent rapidly running out, and neither of their jobs paying nearly enough to allow them to continue living there for much longer, the twins were lounging around half naked, watching DVDs and playing video games.

Noshiko and Kira were playing go, Noshiko silently proud of how far Kira had come since beginning to learn this game months ago while her father watched them with interest as he looked over his papers for the return to school the next day.

Stiles was eating a pre back to school takeout with his dad, both of them putting their heads together over Derek’s situation and how to get him out of it before it blew up in all of their faces.

Danny was in his room, fear, guilt and worry gripping him as he looked at the message Mr Whittemore had sent him, wondering what his next move should be.

Lydia was doing her nails for the next day, her mind abuzz with everything and nothing when she felt a little flicker, like she heard someone calling her name, but she shook her head, no, she wasn’t going to listen, not again, not when her banshee powers had...the last time they had activated was when her best friend had been murdered at the hands of a horde of murderous Oni. She wasn’t going down that road again, she would refuse it with all her might, she had had enough death, Allison, very nearly Aiden, she wouldn’t let it happen again.

Derek was in solitary, resenting the situation, glaring at the wall while wondering if he truly was losing his mind.

And in the McCall house, Scott, Isaac, Melissa and Allegra had sat down for a family dinner, all of them blissfully unaware of what was going on in the rest of the town.

A cloud shifted, and the figure shifted on the branch he was standing on, his brown eyes scanning the area for any sign of them as his breath puffed cold in front of him.

They were on their way, he could feel it. Agravaine, and his poisonous, noxious presence, it was approaching Beacon Hills. The Ghost Pack was coming here, all seven of them, all twisted, corrupted perversions of themselves, all of them monsters.

And now, for the last time, Thomas Hollis was getting ready to once more take the fight to his eternal enemy.

Agravaine, his nemesis, was coming here to Beacon Hills, but this time, there was something different. For decades, the two of them had been stuck in an endless battle of wits and strength, pitting against one another, and despite everything, the two of them were still doing this dance even all these years later.

But this was different.

Hollis was getting old. In fact, despite everything he had done, his deep immersion in magic, he was actually dying. His body, altered and marred by magic as it had been, couldn't stop what was coming now. He wasn’t like the other species, he wasn’t like Agravaine. They had been born, or made by other forces. Hollis had done this to himself, and now his tired body was beginning to fail him. It couldn't take anymore, and very soon now, he would draw his last breath.

But he made this vow, as he looked to the crescent moon, that he would have his revenge before he did die.

He wasn’t going to leave this world on his own.

Agravaine was going to come with him and he was going to make damn sure that no matter what happened next, he was going to ensure the death of the man who had taken everything from him.

The cloud shifted further, and threw his body into moonlit relief. He was reasonably tall, his broad shoulders drooped tiredly. His own body’s fight against him was robbing him of his energy, and now it was becoming harder and harder to keep up the pretence of all this. He had long black curly hair, hanging to just above his shoulders, and his face was half covered in days old stubble. While well built, he was also light, which was rather useful for his endeavours in his efforts to destroy Agravaine. His black lifeless eyes, long ago deprived of soul by loss and magic, stared out into the night, the time when he was most effective. The wind whistled through the trees, stirring him slightly, and then, he heard a noise coming from behind him.

And he swivelled his head one hundred and eighty degrees and he could he looked down slightly to see he was already transforming, his shoulders were bulging as he started to transform. Ignoring this, he looked out to see two young men walking...

His vision went red as he heard the joyful bark of their pet dog, and he could feel his ire rising as they got closer to the tree he was standing on. They didn't realise, none of them did, they thought, but he was the only one who knew the truth.

The two men were petting the pet Labrador, the dog panting happily as the two young men chatted and talked and with a surge of rage at seeing their happiness, the fact that their lives were unmarred by misery, despair and tragedy, and worse, that dog...

Hollis turned his body around, making himself look like a normal human again, well at least in posture, his head was no longer looking out over his back.

And then the transformation took hold. Black feathered wings burst painfully from his back, the ridges of them attaching themselves to his outstretched arms. His hands turned yellow and scaly, like a chickens foot, with lethal black talons puncturing beneath his nails and growing in place of his fingernails, his nails vanishing. His muscular legs were suddenly changing into downy feathers, their strong muscles toughening as his body hardened into its changes around it, his legs now becoming the same consistency as his hands, his feet turning into long thin feet, with three long, thin, grasping toes with black talons erupting from each of the three of them. A tail made of sharp black feathers then erupted from his back as his body transformed, his skin becoming covered in jagged, lethal black feathers, all of them pure black with only a few flecks of grey mottling the downy feathers that now covered his chest. His head then began to change, swelling in size, his head becoming a part of his body, no longer attached by a neck but instead mounted atop his shoulders. His eyes bulged, going amber, then fixing on their shining dark orange, his pupils having turned to slits. His face shimmered as feathers emerged there too, dark grey in a heart shape that covered most of his face, and his eyebrows and hair transformed into feathers, though his eyebrows started to transform into little peaked ears, sharp little points on the top of his head resembling horns. And then, the transformation completed as his nose melted into his silently screaming mouth, and a vicious orange beak emerged as Hollis raised his head into the night, his orange eyes focusing on the two young men further ahead, their dog now growling making them look around worriedly, wondering what it sensed, not realising it sensed it was now the target for an apex predator.

Thomas Hollis was the Owlman.

And with a screech, he launched himself from the tree, the wind whistling in his wings as he swooped down towards them, orange eyes filled with hate and the dog started barking in panic, and as one of them got his leash on, the other looked to see what the dog was barking at.

He barely started to scream when Hollis lethal beak ripped the blond spiky haired guy’s throat out, blood splattering all over the dog’s golden coat and the other guy’s face. The quiffed brunette youth screamed and the dog tried to make a bolt for it as blood spurted from the severed blood vessels in his neck and collapsed backwards onto the ground, blood pooling from his neck. With a vicious screech, the Owlman soared after the whining and barking dog, which was pounding away, determined to escape, but then the dog’s panicked howls were cut short as the talons on Hollis’ feet ripped the unfortunate animal into pieces as he landed on top of it, the last panicked member of the group screaming all the louder as he saw the demise of his pet. Soaring into the cold night air, the young man had no chance, and though he was running as fast as he could, he was simply no match for him and Hollis landed right behind him and made as if to wrap him in a bear hug, and the screaming youth suddenly went quiet as he impaled himself upon the talons on Hollis’ hands. Hollis stuck the talons in deep, blood spurting through the air and falling onto the frost covered ground and Hollis allowed the dead youth to collapse face first into the cold earth.

Blood seeping from the dead bodies, Hollis gave a merciless, cold blooded screech and began to feast, his bloodlust temporarily quelled, and all the while, thoughts of ripping Agravaine’s throat out with his beak filling his mind as he filled his stomach.

 

XX

 

“He seems a nice lad.” Allegra said as she and her daughter saw in the living room, enjoying a final glass of wine before bed.

“Yeah he is. And thank you for telling them so many embarrassing stories about me by the way.” She complained, and her mother smirked.

“Well Scott at least has the right to know, you are his mother after all. There’s more isn't there? To Allison dying?” she asked shrewdly, trying to catch Melissa off guard and her daughter sighed.

This was the problem with the supernatural, she couldn't give her mother the full story, no matter how much she may have wanted to. Finding out her grandson now had a boyfriend was all very well and good but finding out he was a werewolf on top of that, well that just wasn’t going to go down nearly as well as the last big mouthful she’d had to swallow.

“Well, kind of,” she said, deciding to give her some measure of the truth, “see, Stiles and Lydia were together,” she began and her mother cut across her.

“Oh he didn't settle for her did he? I know he was mooning after her all these years but she treats him, if you’ll pardon the expression, like shit dear.” She said in distaste and Melissa smiled.

“She’s come around a lot. Maybe too much since she seems to be returning to form slightly, but no, he isn't with her, he’s fallen for a girl called Malia, she lived wild in the forest for eight years.” She told her, enjoying the rather overwhelmed expression on her mother’s face as she processed this bit of information.

“Wild in the forest...” she repeated weakly, but before she could be interrupted again, Melissa pressed on.

“See they were trapped, so Scott and the others went to go and get them. That’s when they got attacked, and Allison was killed. There wasn’t anything they could do, she didn't stand a chance.” She recounted sadly, and her mother narrowed her eyes in distaste at whoever had murdered the poor girl.

“Melissa?” she urged gently, and Melissa sighed.

“Well, you know what she meant to Scott. She was Lydia’s best friend. She was friends with all of them. But, well, all of them blame themselves, Stiles, Lydia, Isaac, they all blame themselves because they reckon she died trying to save them, and Scott blames himself because he couldn't do anything. See...Scott and Isaac got together for a little while before now, but when Scott dumped him, later!” she insisted, stopping her mother interrupting again, “Isaac and Allison started to hang out, and I think that if Isaac hadn't been in love with Scott they probably would have been together. That’s kind of why I asked you to come up mom, I need help.” She said mournfully, and Allegra nodded.

“You want me to talk to them?” she asked, and Melissa nodded.

“Yeah. I know they’re coping, to an extent but...I want to help them, but they won’t talk to me. It’s Stiles in particular I’m worried about, he seems off ever since it happened, and even though I’ve tried...”

“Darling they’re teenagers. And you know as well as I do that there’s no set guidelines for these things.” Allegra said, only slightly chiding, and Melissa nodded.

“I know that mom. I just think that we can help, make them feel a little better, oh I don't know.” She said in despair, not knowing where to go with this.

Allegra nodded sagely.

“You want to help them honey, it’s only natural. I’ll talk to the boys at least, see if I can’t get them to open up a little bit, something like this...but that isn't the only reason you wanted me here was it?” she asked with a slight smile and Melissa smirked.

“What, I can’t want to see my mom?” she asked, and she raised a pencilled eyebrow at her daughter.

“My dear Melissa, you have always had an ulterior motive ever since your father taught you the meaning of the phrase. Come on spill.” She ordered, and Melissa sighed, looking around the room wearily.

“I want your advice.” She said with a sigh and Allegra nodded, looking around the house.

“How bad as it?” she asked, sipping her wine.

“Well that’s what I want your opinion on. Mom the place is falling apart, the walls are bad, the wiring is terrible, the entire place needs decorated, there’s damp, there’s mould in places, I’m pretty sure there’s a nest of dead raccoons under the house, and the entire house is just about ready to give up the ghost. And quite frankly, I can’t afford to fix it.” She said, and Allegra nodded.

“Well if it’s money you want darling,” she began, but was cut off by Allegra shaking her head.

“No mom, I don't want money! I mean...”

“Is it to do with Isaac?” Allegra asked gently, and Melissa winced, fearing her son’s boyfriend’s wolf hearing may pick up on this.

“Oh of course not, he’s no trouble. If I didn't have him here, I don't think either Scott or I would be as happy as we are, and besides, all keeping him requires would only get me a new door mat anyway. The kid keeps trying to give me money for keeping him but I’m not having it. No, my problem is the house is falling apart, and what with one thing or another I just can’t afford to fix it.” She lamented grimly, looking where the paint was beginning to peel off the ceiling in the corner of the room.

Allegra looked at her daughter in frustration.

“Melissa, if that’s the case, I will give you the money! It doesn't have to be a gift, I know what you’re like getting money from people, it can be a loan if you want.” She assured her, but Melissa shook her head.

“That isn't why I asked you here mom. I know you would give me the money, that’s not the issue. What I’m wondering is, is it worth persevering, trying to fix it a little at a time, or...should I admit defeat and sell the place?” she asked softly, and Allegra, shocked, put her glass down on the table and looked at her as if she was seeing her in person for the first time.

“Melissa, this house...” she whispered hoarsely, and Melissa nodded wearily.

“I know, it’s been in the house for about four generations, hell you and I both grew up here. But the place is falling apart, and I can’t afford to fix it.” She said, sounding a little like the little girl Allegra had once raised.

Allegra pursed her lips, considering the problem. The place had been old when she had given it to Melissa, letting her remain in town while she and her husband had moved to San Francisco, and it had needed some work then. But a good deal of water had passed under the bridge since then, including a young boy who had grown up into a fine young man, and well, she could see why Melissa was considering just selling it rather than struggling on with the problem.

If only she hadn't married that twerp Rafe McCall and had found herself a nice man, but no, it wasn’t to be. Feeling slightly better for blaming the idiot who had married her little girl, she laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Have you had any estimates done?” she asked, and Melissa nodded.

“Yeah, a few, none of them pretty. I don't want to move mom, but...I don't want the bailiffs coming when I can’t pay the bills or feed the kids. I just don't see what I can do, either I persevere and go bankrupt, or I fix the house and still go bankrupt. The cost of it to fix is a hell of a lot more than I earn in a year. Hell, even adding in Scott and Isaac’s little salaries it’s still more.” She said wearily, draining her glass and kneading her forehead.

Allegra looked at her daughter, her eyes, so alert for signs of weariness and sickness in Scott, now trained on her daughter. She looked tired, drawn out, burnt out even, and she also looked like she had lost a little weight and not the good way.

Time to take things in hand.

“Alright sweetheart, that’s quite enough of that. The kids are back to school tomorrow yes, and you’re off. You are going to stay off, even if the place falls to the ground without you, you are staying off. You and I are going to get up in the morning, get the boys to school, and then we’ll sit down, and look at everything that’s wrong with the house. And then, and there shall be no arguments about this young lady, I am taking my girl out for lunch, no arguments. Comprende?” she asked, and Melissa looked at her as if she were about to argue, so she fixed her with the same gaze that had frozen many a criminal.

“I said, comprende?” she insisted, and Melissa allowed herself a small smile and nodded, admitting defeat.

“Yes mom.” She responded and Allegra nodded.

“Good girl. It’ll be alright dear,” she promised, wrapping her arm around Melissa’s shoulder, “nothing else has got us before now, nothing will get us now. We’ve gotten through worse than dear, we’ll get through this too. You’ll see. So, um...what did you get for midnight snacking?” she asked hopefully as they passed the kitchen and Melissa shook her head in amusement.

“Nothing.” She replied with a small grin, and Allegra looked at her scandalised.

“Just for that, only two courses tomorrow, fancy not getting me something for my midnight nibbling.” She scolded without heat and Melissa laughed, hoping that the biscuits she had bought would remain unmolested for at least one night.

 

XX

 

“Your grandma is awesome. Mind you so is your mom since she’s actually letting me sleep here.” Isaac said brightly as he laid across Scott’s bed, and Scott fixed with a pout and puppy dog eyes, and a smug Isaac grinned and took his hand, pulling him onto the bed.

“Aww honey, you look miffed about something. Want to tell me about it?” he purred in his ear, nuzzling his cheek with his nose, though he already knew what was bothering his boyfriend and he was enjoying it immensely.

“What were you and Stiles up to?” Scott whined desperately, turning to face his boyfriend, as Isaac reared back onto his haunches.

“Oh you want to know that,” he asked as if it were new information, relishing the dirty look Scott was giving him, not knowing was really annoying him, “why didn't you say so?” he asked, but despite relishing winding Scott up, he was a little nervous, what if Scott didn't like it?

So, slightly nervous, he pulled his long sleeved top off, revealing the two black lightning bolt tattoos on his arm, which he’d had copied on the other side of his arm to make it look kind of three dimensional. The top one was the normal jagged lightning bolt, the bottom one was the one with the arrow head at the bottom, and he looked nervously at Scott who was scrutinising the tattoos silently.

“I like it.” Scott whispered huskily, tracing his finger around the tattoo experimentally.

“Really?” Isaac asked hopefully, and Scott fixed his brown eyes on his boyfriend and kissed him.

“Yeah, they’re hot. Why lightning bolts? And the arrow-oh.” He said, realising the second answer and Isaac looked at him hesitantly.

“It’s ok right, I mean, one it looks cool and you know, I, you,” he whispered and Scott leaned in and kissed him, shutting off his stuttering explanation.

“I get it. I think it’s sweet.” He whispered, kissing Isaac’s cheek a little, as he once again traced the tattoos.

“Um...you probably won’t like why I got lightning bolts.” Isaac said, looking a little guilty, and just as Scott was about to ask why, it suddenly clicked.

“Seriously? You’re celebrating nearly dying from being electrocuted while I was worried sick?” he demanded, but before he could complain anymore, Isaac kissed him fiercely to shut him up, lowering him to the bed and hanging above him.

“No silly, I’m celebrating surviving it so my jackass ex boyfriend could get back together with me.” He corrected, and Scott allowed himself a grin.

“Alright, fine, that sounds better. Wait...hang on you’re a wolf, who torched you?” he demanded angrily and Isaac rolled his eyes patiently.

“Never you mind, I told them it was fine. Besides, Derek did it to you and I don't want him dead.” He pointed out, and Scott glowered.

“We weren’t dating then, Isaac, someone, ie, a twin, burnt you! Which one was it?” he demanded, and Isaac laid a finger over his mouth, shutting him up.

“You are a sweet but overprotective pain in my ass,” he scolded, and Scott’s gaze softened slightly, “I’m not going to tell you. One I told them it was fine and that you would leave them alone, two, because said twin will be miserable, and three, think of it this way, if he hadn't, you wouldn’t be stroking it now.” He pointed out with a superior grin, and Scott scowled a little but did relent.

“I suppose so. It was Aiden though wasn’t it? Don’t worry, I won’t tell him off or anything, the jerk’s quickly mastering the kicked puppy look like you have.” He lamented, and Isaac sniggered.

“Yeah it was, and by the way, he is alarmingly fond of that blowtorch.” He told him, lying back onto his pillows and Scott laid down beside him, stroking his tattoo on his right arm, then kissing his shoulder gently.

“Great, not only a reformed murderer but an arsonist now as well.” Scott complained with a slight smile and Isaac sniggered, then made an impatient noise in his throat which Scott took as his cue to take his top off, which he did, lying down beside Isaac who ran his hand up his warm, bare, muscular chest.

“It’s fine. So, you really like it?” he asked and Scott nodded and grinned.

“Oh yeah.” He said, kissing him softly, and Isaac smiled coyly.

“Good, I got something else, but that’s for later.” He taunted him, and Scott poked him hard.

“You know, you’re cruel.” He complained and Isaac kissed him lightly.

“I know. You’ll enjoy it though, and I kind of need to go back to school so I can do it. You’ll see.” He promised, leaving Scott to look at him in confusion as Isaac stripped down to his boxers.

“I still say you’re cruel. Hey, aren't we?” Scott asked hopefully, and Isaac grinned.

“Not with your mom and grandma in we aren't. Besides, we have tryouts tomorrow, and I’d rather like to be dating a member of the lacrosse team, which means you need to rest.” He told him, his eyes glinting cockily, and Scott sighed, slightly deflated.

“Fine. Party pooper.” He moaned, stripping down to his boxers and getting under the covers, where he was immediately joined by Isaac cuddling into him and despite himself, he smiled, he loved when Isaac cuddled into him like this.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow I promise. And besides,” he whispered lustfully, slowly stroking his hand down Scott’s belly, “just because we’re not having sex doesn't mean that I can’t entertain you in other ways.” He whispered and as Scott moved to kiss him goodnight, Isaac pulled down his boxers a little, grinned evilly and made Scoot gasp a little as he got to work, kissing him passionately as he did it.

 

XX

 

The first day back was always hell, with people running about late or trying to find classes. You would think by the second semester, people would know better but no, that was too easy, and besides, the various staff changes (necessitated by murders and sacrifices) were not helping anyone, least of all poor Malia.

She slammed her locked shut, claws digging into the metal when she suddenly felt two familiar hands wrap around her waist and Stiles lean his chin on her shoulder.

“Hey, calm down, all the teachers are on this ‘pupils must all contribute’ kick, Kira’s dad does it as well.” He assured her and she growled.

“He’s a nice teacher. Ms Flemming doesn't seem to care that I was a fecking coyote who could rip her guts out for the last eight years. Reckon I could convince Aiden to kill her for me?” she grumbled, and Stiles kissed her cheek.

“Probably, I think he misses killing things a little. And you didn't do that badly.” He lied loyally, and she glowered at him, though there was smouldering affection in her lethal stare too.

“Stiles, even Greenberg, the kid who had been held back two years now, got it.” She complained bitterly, and he turned her around to face him and kissed her softly, his hand twining in her hair and he could feel her calming down a little.

“I know, but Greenberg, an idiot though he is, wasn’t living wild in the forest eating rabbits as brain food for eight years. You were. Besides, I thought Lydia was helping you with your maths?” he asked and she pouted.

“Yeah but I’m not as smart as she is and I think she gets frustrated because I’m not getting it. And she keeps trying to persuade me to wear shoes.” She whined, looking at her bare feet and he grinned, he enjoyed that little quirk of his girlfriend’s, and Lydia’s frustration with it even more.

“Well, how about you ask Kira to help too? I would but you distract me when I’m trying to study.” He whispered playfully and Malia kissed him, holding his chin tightly as she did it.

“I thought you liked being distracted?” she asked coyly, and Stiles smirked.

“Sometimes. Come on, it’s lunch, the perfect opportunity for you to vent about unfair teachers. Count yourself lucky you avoided Harris. Harsh though it is, the Darach did us a favour by killing him.” He said, taking her hand and leading his sulky girlfriend to the table outside.

It was sunny but cool as they reached the table that, as one of the main power groups in the school, they had basically claimed as their own and no one dared try to contradict them, though that admittedly might have been more to do with the twins than anything else, scowling darkly at anyone who got delusions of grandeur and got too close.

“Where is everyone?” Malia asked, thrown off a little by the absence of Isaac and Ethan, and it appeared as if Lydia and Kira also weren’t there. As a result, Danny, Scott and Aiden were all chatting and trying and failing not to look slightly put out by the absence of their other halves.

“What tryouts are on today?” Malia asked, figuring that’s where they would be, and Stiles considered the possibility.

The off season for lacrosse always meant a buzz of excitement when team tryouts came on the first day back after winter break, but they weren’t until after school. There were other ones going on, but having no interest in any others (running for your life was a good substitute for cross country if nothing else) he wasn’t sure what they were.

He was about to head over to join the others when a new girl, searching in her bag for her ringing phone, walked right into him, and it was only his quick thinking (well, less to do with the girl and more to stop himself falling) that he grabbed Malia’s hand and prevented her from clawing the girl as she staggered backwards looking perplexed.

“Oh god I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you ok?” she asked, and Stiles took in the girl, who he realised that despite this being the second semester, he did not recognise this girl.

Giving Malia a look which basically told her the girl hadn't been trying to hurt him, making her reluctantly retract her claws, he looked at the new girl curiously.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve not seen you about before, are you new?” he asked, and she nodded, smiling a little.

Fairly tall, with long dark brown hair mixed with blonde, she was clad in jeans and a black tank top, wrapped in a red jacket. She had brown eyes, but they were totally different from Scott’s, there was something a lot more, predatory, about this girl.

“Yeah I got to town about three months ago, situations changed, people didn't do as they were told so I had to move here. I’m Melody.” She said, holding out her hand, which Stiles shook.

“Stiles. This is Malia.” He said, and after glowering at her for a second, Malia nodded and shook her hand as well.

“Hi. I’m new too.” She said, giving a fair stab at being friendly, and Melody smiled.

“Yeah, well it sucks, science is giving me a major headache.” She complained, and Malia nodded eagerly, smiling a little.

“Yeah, me too! Not as much as maths though, I just don't get it.” She complained and Melody tilted her head in sympathy.

“Yeah that does suck. Well, since we’re struggling, as new kids, how about we try and struggle together? We can try and figure it out...or abuse the teachers, one of the two.” The new girl said brightly, and Malia nodded happily.

“Yeah, great. Um, see you later?” she asked, and Melody smiled.

“Yeah I will. Aw crap it was my psycho brother who called, see you!” she said cheerfully as she headed off and Stiles favoured Malia with a proud smile as the absentee pack members finally deigned to arrive, Isaac and Ethan’s quiffed hair slightly wet and Isaac with the scarf Allegra had knitted around his neck.

“Aww, you made a friend all by yourself.” He teased, well half teased, he was proud of her since her social skills were virtually the same as Aiden’s, just without the murderous impulses.

“Go me.” She said happily as they headed to their table.

Melody turned back to look at Malia and Stiles as they headed to the pack table. She loathed being here, horrible places American high schools. Well, truth be told she had been taught in the Alcazar her entire life but still, it didn't help the fact that she really didn't want to be here. But she was here with a job to do, and the first test had been passed. She had ingratiated herself with one member of the pack, and slow and steady would do the rest, all the better to spy on them.

But most crucial of all was the fact that Malia, who through her long range observations she had discovered had the best sense of smell of the entire pack, and the hapless coyote hadn't even guessed to her true nature.

And now, smirking to herself, she rummaged for her phone, because she actually had been called by Zadan and at least now she could shut him up if he decided to taunt her on taking too long to make friends.

“Where have you lot been?” Danny asked in confusion, and sitting at the opposite end of the table from Aiden, who looked confused at this since the seat opposite and beside him was free, Lydia focused her gaze on the other guy.

“My sweet Danny, it’s first day back after winter break, which means tryouts are on. And what has been our longest standing tradition since we came here?” she asked, slightly waspishly, and Danny’s jaw dropped.

“I forgot about swim team tryouts!” he bemoaned, and Lydia nodded, slightly amused but also merciless in her punishment.

“Exactly! Since we started high school you and I have gone to watch the swim tryouts every year and you stood me up, I had to take Kira, who I’m afraid isn't quite the seasoned judge of attractive young boys that you are yet despite my inspired tutelage.” She said, and Kira, sitting beside her, grinned a little.

“I resent that. I’m just not a natural maneater like you are.” She retorted, and the others grinned.

“Hmph. Anyway, you stood me up and as such missed the annual parade of hot young men all dripping wet for us to focus on.” Lydia scolded Danny, Aiden glowering at her.

“Hey, remember me?” he demanded, and she fixed with a pitying look.

“It’s nothing like that! It’s just like going to a gallery and appreciating the paintings.” She assured him, but Aiden was far from convinced, but let it go.

“Anyone interesting?” Danny asked, as if he wasn’t supremely interested, and Lydia grinned maddeningly.

“Oh yes, a good mix this year. And to make matters worse, you not only stood me up from our long standing arrangement, but you also missed your boyfriend’s tryout.” She told him, and Danny turned to Ethan in shock.

“You tried for the swim team? Why didn't you tell me?” he demanded as Aiden also looked down the table at his twin.

“Or me?”

“Well you would have wound me up for being a sissy, that’s why,” he replied, and Aiden grinned a little, yeah that sounded like him, “and I know I told you I’ll try out for lacrosse but, well I’d prefer other things so I tried out.” He explained to Danny, who poked him but carried on.

“And?” he insisted and Ethan grinned.

“Well I made the team.” He said proudly, and Danny kissed his cheek.

“You also missed the chance to see Isaac try out as well.” Lydia added innocently, and Scott looked at him in surprise as Isaac grinned sheepishly.

“What is this, keep Alpha boyfriend in the dark week? Why didn't you tell me you were going to try out for the swim team?” he demanded, and Isaac shrugged.

“I don't know, I just didn't want to parade it.” He said, and Scott affected a hurt look.

“I wouldn’t have paraded it!” he protested, and Isaac grinned.

“No but you’d have told Stiles who would have.” He pointed out, and after a second, Scott nodded, conceding the point.

“Cheap shot.” Stiles muttered and Malia sniggered beside him.

“How did you do?” Aiden asked curiously, and Scott looked at Isaac, wanting the answer as well and Isaac grinned cockily at him.

“How do you feel about dating the captain of the swim team?” he asked, and Scott grinned widely.

“Really? Awesome! Oh no, mom will be nauseatingly proud of you. Ah well, that’s your problem, congratulations.” He said, kissing Isaac a little, wrinkling his nose as he got a whiff of chlorine from him.

“Thanks!” he said happily, and Aiden grinned.

“You do realise that everyone in the school will now have a reason to watch your virtually naked boyfriends.” He pointed out, and Scott swatted at him, making the others laugh as his beta ducked to avoid the blow.

“Who else is on the team? Well done buddy.” Stiles said after congratulating Ethan, and Isaac frowned thoughtfully.

“It’s not like the lacrosse team, where you get more of a say, I get some say but because it’s bigger I can’t really choose who’s all going to be in the team. Anyway, Danielle is in the team.” He said, indicating the girl who had been one of the Darach’s sacrifices best friend as she walked across the ground.

“Really?” Malia asked in slight disbelief as she looked at Danielle, and Stiles tapped her hand with his finger.

“Sweetie, remember what we said about tact?” he asked, and Malia looked resentful and shut up.

“Doesn't matter anyway, she was amazing at the butterfly stroke, best time of the lot of them, she beat Ethan too and he’s a wolf.” Kira informed them, and Danny looked at Isaac.

“Who else?”

“Caleb, who’s over there trying to get his leg over Emily as usual,” Isaac said in amusement, pointing to the guy who was much the same height, build and hair colour as he was, wearing a low cut tshirt as he talked to a pretty red head, “Garrett, um...”

“Is he the cute blond one over there talking to Mason and that new kid, Liam wasn’t it?” Scott asked, nodding to the three freshman who were taking to Liam like a duck to water.

“The cute one?” Isaac asked in amused disbelief and Scott went a little red as the entire pack laughed at his little slip.

“Um, well he, I mean, that’s to say...”

“You sir, have a type.” Stiles said smugly and Scott looked at him in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

Lydia grinned.

“Actually you have two types. Type one is girls, who are beautiful, strong, independent, kick ass, pale and brunette, ie Allison and Kira from your brief thing for her.” She said, and Kira smirked a little.

“In other words girls who could kick his ass!” she said brightly, and Scott shot her an affronted look.

“And your other type is cute, sarcastic, cocky, pale, stubborn blond guys, ie Isaac and now Garrett.” Danny said in glee while Ethan sniggered beside him and Scott opened his mouth in protest.

“What, no! I don't fancy Garrett he’s just...well he is cute isn't he?” Scott asked Danny desperately and Danny cast an appraising eye over at Liam, Mason and Garrett and then immediately whispered to Ethan, both of them nodding in agreement.

“Well, yeah, kind of, but he’s more your sort of thing.” Ethan said teasingly, and Scott glowered at him.

“I am going to make you and your sniggering hyena of a twin here,” he said, swiping at a cackling Aiden while the others laughed, “regret ever having the gall to join my pack.” He warned grumpily, and Isaac kissed his cheek.

“Aww relax, they’re having fun. And yes he is cute, but, well...Liam’s more my sort of thing.” He said playfully and Scott looked over at Liam and shook his head.

“I don't see it.” He said, and Lydia leaned over to a grinning Stiles.

“Funny that.” She quipped and he snorted in amusement.

“I don't like you people anymore.” Scott moaned, and Stiles grinned.

“Hey are you going for cheerleading this year Lydia?” Danny asked, and he noticed as Aiden perked up a little bit at the thought of Lydia cheerleading.

“Yep, tryouts are day after tomorrow. Are you two joining me?” she asked Malia and Kira, and Malia shrugged.

“Might do, it might be fun.” She said musingly, but Kira shook her head.

“It’s not really my thing. I think I might try for the actual cross country team I like that.” She said and Ethan nodded, looking happy.

“Good then I’ll have someone I know doing it with me, because someone who shall remain nameless,” he said, shooting a dirty look at Danny, who didn't notice as he was too busy looking worriedly at his phone, “is ignoring me every time I ask him to tryout with me since I’m doing lacrosse for him.”

“Yeah but you’re not being properly ignored though are you?” Aiden muttered bitterly, but only Scott heard him and it occurred to him that Danny looked anxiously at his phone a lot nowadays when Lydia piped up.

“So, are you all trying out for lacrosse?” she asked innocently, not noticing as Kira went a little pink.

“It’s lacrosse tryouts Lydia, everyone tries out for them.” Stiles explained in exasperation, and Aiden looked at Scott curiously.

“What even you need to try out for them?” he asked, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, well, it’s a kind of formality...I think.” He said, his confidence wavering slightly, and Ethan looked at him, his expression almost pitying.

“Wait, didn't you see the posters? It’s an open tryout. As in nothing’s been filled. By any of you.” He explained, and as one, Scott, Stiles, Isaac and Danny looked at him in alarm.

“Wait, what?” Stiles demanded weakly, and Malia nodded, patting her boyfriend’s hand reassuringly.

“It’s all positions, I thought you knew. Don't worry, you’ll be fine, and if not, Kira and I will beat them up for you right Kira?” she asked hopefully and Kira smiled and nodded.

“Sure will. You’ll all be fine, besides, you’re all old members, coach may be insane but he knows you guys are good, why would he keep anyone but you?” she asked and Isaac deflated a little bit.

“So all you need to do is have good grades to keep going?” Aiden asked innocently, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah which was usually my problem since...”

“You suck.” Stiles supplied helpfully, still smarting over the injustice, he had finally made the team last season but because it was a new season he had to go right back to the beginning again. And it wasn’t as if the others would get in, they were all werewolves for god sake, they would be fine regardless, but what was he? A possession victim with a little leftover evil fox in him.

“And it’s good for everyone, everyone wants to date the lacrosse players...well except Greenberg. And Stiles to an extent.” Lydia mused and Malia looked at her, supremely annoyed.

“Meaning what exactly miss high and mighty, my boyfriend not good enough for you?” she asked, claws growing a little but Stiles took her hand to defuse the situation and kissed it, making her simmer down.

“No of course not, but you never saw him before he grew his hair, before then he looked like a convict, he’s gotten way sexier since then.” Lydia assured her, which seemed to content the coyote.

“Well that’s alright then.” She said and kissed Stiles hand in turn.

“So does that mean all the girls pay attention to lacrosse players? Even ones who are meant to have a boyfriend?” Aiden challenged, and Lydia nodded.

“Well yes obviously, they’re usually the most popular guys in school.” She told him, and he looked across at her as if pleading with her for something.

“So does that mean you’ll pay attention to me then?” he asked hopefully, and the entire pack suddenly started rummaging in their bags or talking to each other or faking phone calls so they didn't get caught in the middle of _that_ conversation.

“I-” Lydia began just as the bell rang, and the entire pack sighed in relief that that little showdown had been avoided.

Ethan turned to watch though as Lydia got up from the table and virtually fled to her next class, Aiden hurrying along behind her, trying desperately to get her to talk to him to no avail.

 

XX

 

“Either way it was still harsh.” Stiles said as he trotted out onto the field for tryouts after school finished, and Scott sighed a little.

“I know, but when has Lydia ever been the most sympathetic of people? She treated you like crap for years, and now she’s doing it to Aiden too. I thought she’d grown out of it. I reckon Kira’s right, this is more than the fallout from Allison.” He said worriedly, looking around the field and seeing Lydia and Malia sitting together in the stands, both of them with drinks watching intently for the start of the tryouts.

“Is there a pack relationship counsellor?” Stiles asked as they neared the crowd, where Ethan was talking to Isaac with a scowl on his face, and Scott gave him a humourless grin.

“We could ask Deaton.” He suggested and smirked as he heard Stiles give a slightly menacing animal like growl of his own at the mention of the vet.

Yeah the vet still wasn’t anyone’s favourite person in the pack.

“No thanks. What did we miss?” Stiles asked as they joined the other two, and Ethan scowled over at Lydia.

“Other than her screwing my brother around and my dumbass brother being too dumb to see it, not much.” He griped, glaring at an oblivious Lydia as a rather despondent Aiden walked onto the field.

Scott turned to Stiles, about to suggest he talk to Aiden when Isaac, who was peering at the goals, tapped his shoulder.

“We have another problem.” He said, and Scott followed the finger he was pointing with to see Liam put another ball into the net, making the other clustered boys cheer and applaud.

“He got a good shot, so what?” Stiles asked, and Ethan smiled humourlessly.

“That’s the twentieth score he’s made in about five minutes.” He explained, and Scott’s eyes widened.

“Seriously? Who the hells in goal?” he demanded, figuring it was some new kid who was equally as bad at saving as Liam was at pitching.

“That would be Danny. The kid’s good. Scary good. And, by the looks of things, he’s the one you need to beat.” Isaac said before kissing Scott’s cheek and heading off to talk to Caleb, who was showing off for the girls in the stands.

“But he’s a freshman! A really good freshman admittedly, how did he do that?” Scott demanded weakly as he watched Liam stand backwards and face the group and throw the ball right past an increasingly frustrated Danny and into the net.

Liam was grinning and receiving pats on the back from the others, except Mason and Garrett, as Mason was looking at Liam appreciatively, and irritated, Garrett clicked his fingers in front of his face bringing him back to reality with a guilty look.

“I don't know but he’s making my boyfriend look crap. Can I claw him?” Ethan asked hopefully, and he pouted when Scott shook his head, slightly amused, and he stroked his slick hair worriedly, yeah, this Liam kid was seriously good to take down Danny so often.

“Did we check if he’s a you know what?” Stiles muttered, and Ethan turned to him.

“That’s what I thought, so I strolled on by and had a good sniff, I couldn't get anything off him but I did find out someone smoked pot at lunch.” He told them and Scott shook his head.

“That’s probably that idiot Marcus.” He said, looking at the guy who was waving about as he walked in distaste.

“Did you ask Malia?” Stiles asked, and Ethan nodded.

“Yeah, she came and had a sniff too, he is actually just that good, he isn't a creature as far as we can tell. But Stiles, Levi was definitely flirting with Malia, sorry dude.” He told the other boy and Stiles looked furiously at the younger boy, and he then turned expectantly to Ethan.

“Well, get him, rip him up or something!” he ordered furiously and as Scott and Ethan laughed, Coach blew the whistle, bringing the entire group to order.

“Alright you pansies, look I know things have changed since last season, Jackson left, Boyd...well he isn't here anymore,” he said gruffly and Aiden and Ethan shifted guiltily while Isaac scowled, “but that doesn't matter because we are the Cyclones, and we are going to get a new team and we are going to whip their asses, eh I mean butts. Stop sniggering Greenberg, honestly, you shouldn’t even still be here. Alright ladies, marathon around the field, go now!” Coach yelled, and with that the entire group burst into movement and began to run as Coach kept blowing the whistle to make them go faster.

“Who’s the kid in the full gear setup?” Aiden asked Ethan, and his twin shrugged, looking back at a kid who was dressed in the entire uniform with the helmet down, covering their face.

“See, that’s dedication, full gear already! Stop winking at me Greenberg, you’re only getting on the team over my dead body. Faster!” Coach yelled irritably as the entire group reached the end of this side of the field.

Having them do a marathon five laps around the field proved to be quite a good idea, as several bodies started dropping halfway round the first lap.

“Care to make it interesting?” Malia asked, wincing as someone collapsed in front of Aiden and he didn't notice, trampling over the unfortunate kid, but to his credit, Aiden did shout an apology as he moved on, his hapless victim groaning.

“You’re on, I vote...sixteen down by the end of this little bit.” Lydia said, smiling as another fell by the wayside, extending her hand, and Malia grinned.

“I’ll take twenty. Hey, where’s Kira?” she asked, shaking Lydia’s hand in agreement.

“That’s...a good question actually.” Lydia admitted, looking around for their absent friend.

As predicted, to Malia’s glee, twenty two people fell in the marathon (Lydia begrudgingly handing over ten dollars to the smug coyote, murmuring under her breath about the wild girl, which was made worse when Malia put her bare feet up on the seat in front to wind her up more). Admittedly, some of those left standing didn't look too good, including Stiles, who was panting weakly and was supporting himself on Scott, who was trying and failing not to look amused.

“Alright, goal shooting, let’s go! McCall, you first.” Coach yelled, watching as some good Samaritan hauled the poor bloke Aiden had trampled off the field.

With a rotation of goalies and strikers, the next few were gradually whittled down, leading to a group of about twenty left standing, including the person in full get up, which meant that most of them would be on the team, ten players, five reserves, and this final test deciding it all.

“Stillinski, show these noobs how it’s done!” Coach yelled, and an exhausted looking Stiles, highlighted hair sodden about his head, looked at him in disbelief but did as instructed.

Scott grabbed his shoulder, wrinkling his nose slightly as he did so, true most of them now stank but...

“Hey, Levi is still in it, you don't get this, well you heard Lydia, lacrosse players get all the girls, and since he likes Malia...” he said leadingly, and Stiles glared at him, and moved towards the goal, swearing and muttering foul oaths under his breath.

“Clever.” Aiden commented in his ear.

With that, Stiles hoisted the ball into his stick and began to run up the field, ten large bruiser like other guys determined to stop him. Malia was in the stands watching with fascination and trepidation (well she loved him to bits but Stiles was a scrawny runt compared to some of these guys) as Stiles ran up the field.

“Oh this won’t be pretty...ow, hey, claws!” Lydia protested as Malia, who was holding her hand, accidentally dug her claws in in panic as a guy about five times Stiles size was storming towards him.

But she needn’t have worried. Stimulated by the thought of Levi making moves on his girl, despite his exhaustion, Stiles went full pelt up the field, shouldering the big guy in a spiralling pirouette out of his way, dodging the next two, twirling around another and then going full pelt towards the goal and sent the ball straight into the corner of the net.

“Yes!” Scott and Isaac yelled in approval and Lydia practically cried with relief, but that was due to a cheering Malia having let go of her hand.

“That’s it Stillinski, go and sit down, I don't want sued if you snuff it.” Coach ordered and a weakly gasping Stiles dragged himself away.

The trials continued, with Caleb falling as the one in full get up tackled him, Isaac (who silently admitted to himself that he was shipping Stalia) happened to take out Levi, two big bruisers double the size of the twins made the foolish mistake of challenging the twins and were rolling on the floor in pain seconds later, and even Scott took one guy down, admittedly by accident as he tripped as he fired his ball and took out the goalie, but Coach said it counted so who cared anyway.

Danny did his one with ease, easily scoring several goals, and saving all of the goals that were thrown at him other than a grinning Liam’s and an increasingly agitated Scott’s, who was seriously starting to resent this kid.

With Danny along with Stiles now virtually guaranteed a place it was now just a matter of weeding out the throng. To Coach’s dismay, Greenberg did a passable tryout, and reluctantly told him he could sit on the bench. Ethan was taken down by an apologetic Mason, but Ethan waved him off, and when a disappointed Coach told him he hadn't made the cut, Ethan shrugged cheerfully and went to sit with Danny, who looked like he was trying to make sure Stiles stayed breathing.

For taking Ethan down, and some superb footwork, Mason then found himself with a position on the team, and in their tandem run, Garrett had made up for all the shortfalls Mason had and vice versa, and after some nifty goal scoring and saving, he too was put on the team.

Scott was rather interested to watch Aiden’s final tryout. Ethan had been alright, but nothing special, but it seemed that in his effort to earn Scott’s respect and approval, he had also decided to try for the team, and had really trained hard (also having bulked up a little recently too so he was a little more muscular than Ethan) and now seemed determined to prove himself, to Scott mostly he reckoned, and get on the team.

Scott needn’t have worried. Aiden was fantastic, he was quicker than Ethan, dodged more, and shouldered his way up the field, even propelling himself off one person he’d knocked down into the air and sending the ball into the net in midair.

“Yes, yes whichever twin you are, that’s what I like to see, great work! You’re on the team...do you even have a surname?” Coach asked in confusion, and upon hearing this the entire pack looked at each other curiously, having never heard the twins surname before.

“I didn't even think they had one.” Isaac muttered in Scott’s ear, which Scott had to admit, had crossed his mind too.

“Smith.” Aiden said hesitantly, while Ethan said “Johnson.”

Coach stared between the two of them.

“We change with our middle names when we get bored.” Ethan lied easily, and Coach seemed to accept this as a response and a worried Aiden sat down beside Ethan and sighed in relief, as Ethan, Danny and Stiles congratulated him, as did Mason and Garrett, after Mason had received a pointed glance from Garrett.

“Lahey! And for once, yes you can take out your own team!” Coach called, and Isaac grinned sheepishly, remembering their last lacrosse game when he had had to take out his own team so Scott could help stop Jackson.

Scott suppressed a surge of triumph as Isaac tore up the field, easily took down some attackers and dodged the others, and cockily stuck the ball in the net before their current goalie could even consider blocking it.

“Good man, no problems doing lacrosse and swimming?” Coach asked, and Isaac shook his head and Coach proudly told him he was on the team.

“Where is Kira?” Lydia asked, her friend’s absence seriously starting to annoy her, as she wasn’t answering her phone either.

“You, new kid!” Coach ordered and the one in full get up ran up the field, beginning their tryout.

“Whoa, that kid is good.” Mason commented as they watched the kid dodge, duck, weave, leap and even one somersault, taking down virtually all of the attackers as they blazed their way to the goal, where the goalie seemed to be quivering in fear.

“Who is that kid?” Aiden demanded in shock, and Isaac smirked.

“Isn't it obvious? It’s Kira.” He told them, and the others all looked at him in shock as the last player stuck the ball into the net, and did so with such ferocity that the goalie dropped their stick and abandoned their post.

“Kira...” Scott muttered in realisation as Coach whooped and applauded.

“Great job kid, what’s your name?” he asked, and there was a slight gasp from the assembled spectators as she took off her helmet, indeed revealing Kira’s face.

“Kira, I’m new remember?” she asked hopefully as Coach seemed to have an aneurysm when presented with a girl trying out for his team.

“A girl? On the team? Um, well, I...well give me a minute, I’ve got a captain to decide on, go on, scat, sit beside your punk friends.” He told her, and looking faintly dispirited, Kira sank down beside the others as Lydia and Malia climbed down the stands towards her.

“Why didn't you tell us you were trying out for the team?” Lydia demanded as they arrived, and Kira shrugged.

“I don't know, I just...well I fancied doing it, it was stupid, I shouldn’t have done it.” She moaned, and Stiles shook his head.

“Kira, you nailed it, yours was the best tryout by far, even better than Aiden’s, don't talk crap, you have to be on the team!” he insisted, but she still looked down and embarrassed, leaving the others kind of clueless beside her.

“Dunbar, McCall, listen close. You two had the best tryouts of the lot, so, captaincy on the line. Show me what you got kids.” Coach encouraged, and Liam grinned at Scott.

“Want to hand it over now?” he asked cockily, and Scott shot him a venomous look.

“In your dreams kiddo.” He growled, and Liam just grinned wider.

The entire field went silent as the two of them did their tryouts, it was like no one moved a muscle as they watched, transfixed.

Scott took down all his attackers, surged into the air, rolled to the ground and came up on his knee to send the ball zooming into the net to loud cheers of approval from the spectators, and even a respectful nod from Liam. Scott grinned and nodded back and watched intently, heart hammering in his chest as he waited to see if he would be team captain.

Liam was good, there was no denying that, he even threw his ball into the air, dodged a guy and caught the ball again before moving on at one point, and he was about to score, Scott bit his lip, heart hammering, strange, he wanted to be captain, but he also wanted Liam to make the shot, and Liam shot the ball, the goalie took a step back in shock, tumbled and extended his stick outwards to try and steady himself...and to a great groan the ball just caught in his stick as he fell.

Liam looked slightly dispirited but the others, and Coach, were still cheering his name, but then they started chanting Scott’s name and Isaac kissed him slightly as Coach confirmed he was team captain.

“Great McCall! Get over here!” Coach yelled as a lacklustre Kira joined the group, feeling very stupid, why on earth had she tried out?

“Bad luck dude, you were awesome otherwise.” Garrett told Liam who shrugged.

“Thanks, I just...I wanted to do it.” He said softly, and even though he was over the side of the field with Coach, Scott could hear the disappointment and the passion in Liam’s voice, he hadn't wanted to do it to be captain, he’d just wanted to do it to prove he could.

“Well, I suppose you’ll want Stillinski and your boyfriend in, Danny can stay as long as all your relations stay PG,” Coach said, making Scott grin, “the twin, whatever one he is, he’s too good to lose, I suppose...Greenberg,” he said as if the very thought as painful, “the new kids, and Adam I suppose.”

“No.” Scott said simply, and Coach looked at him in surprise.

“Look McCall, you might be captain but...”

“Coach, Kira had the best tryout of any of us, and that includes Liam! She deserves to be on the team!” he insisted, and Coach shook his head.

“We can’t McCall! A girl on the team, it’s never been done before, she’d need her own changing room, her own room, well, girl stuff!” he protested, and Scott shook his head in amused disbelief.

“For a start she could probably use the same changing room as us considering a good portion of the team doesn't like her that way anyway, but that’s not my point. Imagine it, first game of the season. We walk out, some other team sees us all, and they see Kira. What do they do?” Scott asked, and Coach spluttered.

“Laugh themselves silly because we have a girl on the team!”

“Exactly! And then, when Kira slaughters them, how bad do they feel?” Scott asked with a sly grin, and Coach chuckled.

“I like the way you think McCall, got that killer instinct. Deal. Oh, and Liam’s on the team too.” He said, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, as my vice captain.” He told him, and after a nod from Coach, joined the others.

“Congratulations.” Isaac said proudly as Scott joined them, and Lydia nodded.

“Yeah, your own little power couple, captain of the lacrosse team dating the captain of the swim team, you pair are living the dream.” She said with a smile, and Scott grinned.

“Thanks. Hey Liam?” he asked, looking at the still despondent younger kid, and Liam gave him a smile and extended his hand.

“Good job, you deserved it.” He said, and Scott grinned and shook his hand.

“You did good too, and that was kind of a fluke that that shot got saved. Fancy being my vice captain?” he asked hopefully, and Liam’s face broke into a grin.

“Really? Sure!” he said brightly and to Scott’s surprise, he hugged him.

“You’re welcome.” Scott said laughing as Mason and Garrett patted their friend on the back.

“Yeah, just...tone it down a bit, you make us look bad.” Danny pleaded and Liam nodded, grinning.

“Deal.”

“Mason, you and Garrett are on too,” he told them, and then recited the entire team, resulting in many back pats and handshakes, and Scott turned to a despondent Kira.

“Hey, yours was the best of the lot.” He told her and she shook her head.

“It was stupid, I never should have done it, I just thought I would be good at it, I mean a girl on the lacrosse team, I must have been high or something...” she babbled, but Scott put his finger over her mouth, shutting her up.

“You are good at it, so good, you’re on the team.” He told her, and she hesitated.

“Seriously?” she asked weakly, and he had no sooner nodded than she launched herself at him and hugged him.

“Oh thank you!” she cried, and Scott grinned.

“Great, that’s sorted then. And, I made team captain!” Scott yelled, sticking his hands in the air in victory and the others laughed.

“Yeah you did. Can we go home now? This way you can get all your mom’s fawning.” Isaac teased and Scott slapped at him.

“Shut up. Hey, doesn't that new nightclub open tonight?” he asked, and as expected, Lydia nodded.

“Yeah, Lunar, why?” she asked, and Ethan looked at her as if she were crazy.

“So we can celebrate? Duh.” He said and she shot him a dirty look, though she had to admit she had asked for that.

“A proper nightclub?” Kira asked, sounding worried that her parents would never let her out, but Isaac shook his head.

“No, the new place, over the road from the cafe, I mean it has booze sure but it’s mostly aimed at our sort of demographic, give us a place to go that isn't running through the woods.” He explained, and Mason looked at them curiously.

“You do that?” he asked, and Scott grinned, passing it off easily.

“Only when we’re very bored.” He replied silkily, making the others grin as they led the younger kids off and a grinning Aiden turned to Lydia, the two of them holding back.

“That was actually really good fun. Did-did you watch?” he asked hopefully, and she nodded slightly, avoiding his gaze.

“Yeah, you were really good. I’ll see you tonight.” She said and she strolled off before he could say another word, and all of a sudden, as his eyes flashed blue in frustration, he couldn't help but feel the balloon of victory he had in his chest had a small puncture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very long and what with one thing and another, it took ages to get up too, apologies. But the action officially starts next chapter, so watch this space!
> 
> And what is this scandalous rumour that Danny isnt coming back to the show? Raging!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are very appreciated!


	6. Episode 1: Territory Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new nightclub opens, Agravaine arrives in town, Danny comes clean and a new threat reveals itself

Two-Pack II

 

“Mom?” Scott called as he and Isaac entered the house, Isaac grinning at the look of cheerful delight on his face as he basked in his victory.

“Hello boys, through here.” Allegra called and they entered the living room to see both Melissa and Allegra sitting in chairs with their feet up, a glass of wine in hand, hardly a care in the world.

“My, you two look like you’ve had a productive day.” Scott commented with a grin as he sank into the other sofa with Isaac beside him, Isaac looking at the wine hopefully, but a slight smile from Melissa made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t even going to get a sniff of it.

“We have actually, not that you need to worry your pretty little head about it. How was school?” Allegra asked, and Melissa smiled.

“Mom, first day back after winter break, that isn't the question you ask, you ask how the tryouts went.” She corrected her, looking at her two boys expectantly, and Scott nudged Isaac with his elbow, having a silent conversation, ending with the fact that Melissa had come to translate as Isaac vowing to kill Scott before he turned to face the two women.

“I made swim captain.” He told them and both of them smiled, extending their congratulations to him.

“That’s brilliant honey well done.” Melissa said and Scott couldn't keep it in any longer.

“And I made lacrosse captain too!” he crowed and Melissa smiled proudly.

“Aww well done honey I’m proud of you. So, who’s on your teams?” she asked excitedly and the two of them rattled off the ones they had on the team so far.

“Well done both of you. Since you did so well, here get yourselves a pizza.” Allegra said with a slight smile, passing her grandson some money, and he looked at her suspiciously.

“Wait a minute why-? Have you two eaten, without us?” he asked in a whining voice and both women looked at him guiltily.

“We went out for lunch, not our fault you had to go back to school!”

“Charming!” Scott whined, but then Isaac took his hand, and nuzzled him a little.

“Hey, they gave us money. That means we can go out.” He whispered and his boyfriends indignation suddenly turned to a cocky grin.

“Huh, good point that really, and then we can go to Lunar later.” He said happily, turning towards Isaac lustfully, imagining a date, at a table, just the two of them, together...

“Lunar? That new nightclub opening opposite the cafe Isaac works at?” Melissa asked as she sipped her wine, looking at them both suspiciously.

“It’s not a nightclub nightclub, well it is, but it’s more dedicated to keeping people our age of the streets, you know, to try and cut down on the amount of us getting killed in town.” Isaac explained, and though Melissa did look like she considered this a good idea, she still looked less than happy that they were going out on a school night.

“Oh let them go dear, I seem to remember you having a few wild nights when you were younger. Wouldn’t be the first time I sent you to a school with a hangover.” Allegra said dismissively and her daughter shot her a dirty look.

“They didn't need to know that!” she complained and Allegra just smiled and saluted her with her glass while the boys sniggered.

“Mom, we seriously won’t drink, besides we’re underage and only about two of us would pass for twenty one anyway, Isaac because he’s so tall and Danny because he’s so good at it. Besides, it keeps us off the streets, oh come on mom, we’re team captains and we both have practice tomorrow, we’re hardly going to go out and get wasted.” Scott pleaded.

“Like you used to.” Allegra mumbled softly, and Melissa glared at her mother, who smirked.

“Mouth is open mother, should be shut. Alright, but I swear, one whiff of booze and I, I’ll...ha, no Stiles! That’ll sort him.” She assured her mother, and Allegra laughed and Scott grinned.

“Deal. So, you want me to pick you up?” Scott asked cheerfully, and Isaac looked at the clock musingly.

“I don't know, I was going to sit back and watch the Borgias tonight actually.” He said, looking pensive, and Scott gaped a little, trying to figure out the right words, hang on, hadn't this been his idea to go out?

“But...” he whined, and Isaac grinned evilly.

“You’re so easy! Race you to get ready. And bet I’m still done before you.” Isaac challenged cockily, and Scott gave him a superior grin, looking at Isaac as if he was kidding.

“Oh you’re on, whoever is the slowest buys everyone a round later.” He challenged and Isaac kissed his cheek to seal the deal before bolting up the stairs, quite literally leaving Scott in the dust.

“Hey, cheat!” Scott yelled, running up the stairs after his boyfriend and Melissa slapped her mother’s leg in annoyance.

“Why did you tell them about that?” she demanded irritably, and Allegra gave her a coy smile.

“Hmm, would you rather I told them what happened the night of senior prom?” she challenged, eyebrow raised and Melissa briefly considered her options and then wisely went quiet.

“I hid a packet of biscuits in the microwave since you can’t work them.” She said with dignity and Allegra grinned.

“Pleasure doing business with you darling.” She said lightly, and Melissa grinned and gave a significant look at the ceiling where she could hear the boys moving about.

“If they cause us any problems since you made me let them go out tonight, you can deal with it.” She told her, as she turned on to the soap opera she and her mother both watched, and Allegra smirked in a superior sort of way.

“Nothing else new there then is there.” She taunted and laughed as her impotent daughter turned her attention to her glass of wine, clearly considering throwing it at her cackling mother.

 

XX

 

The night was already dark, a subdued moon beating down onto the town, mist swirling through the trees. A lone car passed the side of the verge where someone was standing, the darkness seeming to part before him as he swept through the trees, with one specific destination in mind.

The unsuspecting fools in this town had no idea of what was about to be released upon this town, they were all clueless. And by the time they got a clue, it would be far too late.

He was dressed all in black, a long black trench coat surrounding his black clad form, his pale face glinting in the moonlight as he swept through the trees, his unruly mop of curly black hair rigid with cold.

And as he passed into a clearing, he saw it up ahead, the very reason he was strolling around on this bitterly cold night, his breath rising in clouds in front of him as he progressed along his way, the very thing that would be the key to his future.

The large, depleted stump that was once the nemeton tree.

Agravaine smiled as he beheld the tree stump, sensing the latent power within the stump that was growing by the day. Several shoots had sprouted all across the stunted large stump, all of them crawling their way towards the sky.

Poor little Alpha pup, he had no idea of what he and his friends had done by giving power back to such a powerful thing. The nemeton, this nemeton in particular, was a lightning rod for supernatural energy, and Agravaine could feel the power surging all around it, in it, beneath it. He had long heard many rumours of just what was contained by the power of this nemeton, the recent Nogitsune trouble being one of the least concerning things that were linked to this tree. There was great power here, and he could feel it, something, somethings, stirring far beneath the surface, raging primordial fire, sheer undiluted power, something...ancient.

Poor little Alpha pup indeed.

Agravaine smiled. That was just one of the many reasons that he was in town, after all, the power of the nemeton was going to increase by the day. Since the sacrifice had awoken the power that lingered within the nemeton, it was growing in strength, and as a result, it was powering the one who had powered it. Agravaine smiled darkly. Scott was growing stronger by the day, but the stronger he became, the worst things would become. Firstly, it would attract greater and more dangerous threats to Beacon Hills, and secondly, it would change the entire world, the true Alpha receiving a power boost from the nemeton.

He could not allow that.

He strolled casually towards the stump, looking at it musingly. This tree, it was linked with so many things, so many events, so much power, the past, the present, the future...

And it was the key to his victory.

He had no interest in what was to come, the brewing power struggle that was even now beginning to ripple across the globe. No, what concerned him was the little true Alpha pup in town...and how he could use him to his own advantage.

Because deep down, what really interested him, was himself, and way out of the mess he was in. He had suspected for months now, as the attacks became less and less frequent, as he felt a general sense of malaise permeating every single little thing he did, as he faded a little in power each day.

He was dying.

But, with access to the nemeton, to Scott McCall, and with his own unique abilities, well, who was to say the future couldn't be rewritten?

He grew his thick, gnarled claws from his fingers as he caressed a hand lovingly over the tree, smiling as he took in the various shoots that were springing up all over it. And he then plunged his burning claws into the very centre of the tree stump.

Agravaine felt a surge of power rush through him as he connected with the ancient, primordial power of the nemeton. Snarling in gratification as he felt the power echo and resonate within him, his eyes burning their sickly yellow as poisonous, noxious smoke billowed from his mouth, swirling around him in the darkness. He felt a burst of acidic heat rise from the tree, and he watched as tiny little black flames emit from each of his claws, spiralling into the stump, the little black flames burning into the tree and then disappearing without a trace.

Agravaine smiled, already smelling the fruit of his labour.

The corruption had begun.

With a satisfied smirk, he swept away from the tree stump, leaving twisting, jagged and strangling plants to start growing around the nemeton in his wake, as the wood started to discolour in the centre of the tree, as tiny little black poisonous fires spread throughout the entire nemeton.

 

XX

 

“Thanks for dinner.” Isaac said as they held hands, heading to meet all of the others at Lunar, the new nightclub and Scott shrugged.

“Hey don't thank me, thank those greedy swines I’m related to who ate without us.” He said, and Isaac turned and kissed him softly, making Scott stop short and just enjoy the kiss, his hand reaching up to stroke Isaac’s cheek as he did it, and when he broke off from the kiss gently, Scott wanting to forget all about going to Lunar and just go home and do that some more, Scott gave him a happy smile.

“What was that for?” he asked, and Isaac smiled and shrugged.

“What, I need a reason to kiss my boyfriend now?” he asked and took Scott’s hand again and Scott grinned.

“No. Say, what was that thing we were going to do but got kind of cockblocked?” he asked hopefully and Isaac sniggered and grinned mysteriously.

“You’ll just need to wait to find out, but don't worry, I swiped what I needed for it today when we were at school.” He said with a wink and Scott felt an anticipatory grin materialise on his face.

Over the last few months, he had learned that when Isaac got all mischievous and sneaky like this, it was normally turned out very well for him so he had learned to keep his mouth shut and just go with the flow as it usually suited him in the end anyway.

Besides, it had been a nice dinner. Admittedly it had only been pizza they had gone for, with a shared basket of potato wedges and onion rings, but despite that, the food was good and it didn't prevent them from making it a proper date. Besides, it was quite like their first date, which Scott remembered very fondly.

The two of them hadn't been doing much that day and with Melissa at work, they were on their own for dinner, which was all very well and good, but neither of them felt like cooking anything, and had just been going to order something in when it had suddenly hit Scott that he and Isaac had never been on a date, he having foolishly broken up with him after only a week. By this time they had only really been back together for a week again, and of course, that explained why Isaac was so off today, he was nervous that something might happen and make Scott want to break up with him again. He remembered frowning, knowing that while it would seem irrational to most other people, Isaac being afraid that Scott would dump him again so soon after getting back together was something he could understand.

Scott knew that while he had really hurt both of them when he had broken up with Isaac originally, all in a misguided attempt to protect Isaac, he had done a lot of damage to Isaac. It had killed him those first few weeks (in which he also temporarily lost a bit of his mind, his cds were all messed up, an entire bottle of gel had disappeared, all very strange) in which Isaac had basically avoided all contact with him, hardly talking to him, spending as much time away from him as possible and it hadn't been until Lydia had intervened that Isaac had become close to being normal again.

So, while Isaac was lying on his bed listening to music, Scott had entered his room, climbed onto the bed and positioned himself above him. He had then kissed him, Isaac moaning a little in surprise as he did it, and he told Isaac to get ready, because this time, he was going to do it all right and he was taking him out on a date. Isaac tried to protest, but Scott had held a finger to his lips, silencing him, kissed his forehead, and told him that he was taking him out on a date, and that for a change they were just going to be an ordinary couple, no supernatural stuff, no nothing, just them. Isaac’s eyes had lit up, and with that Scott had retreated to get ready for his first date with his boyfriend.

Scott had been unreasonably nervous as he got ready for the date. It wasn’t as if it was a conventional date, after all, Isaac lived right next door, and he was one of the joint second in commands of his pack. And well, it was Isaac, and they were together, they were already together, so why was he so nervous about going out on a date with him? It was silly after all, they were already together and this had been his idea. But he had paid special attention to how he had dressed, donning a black pair of jeans, a white and black lined plaid shirt, and he had decided to slick his hair to the side to try something different to mark the occasion. Fidgeting nervously with the keys in the pocket of his leather jacket, he had knocked on Isaac’s door, slightly taken aback as he saw Isaac, dressed in dark blue jeans, a deep green long sleeved shirt with the top two buttons undone, and he’d styled his hair so it looked slightly messy but still kind of looked like a quiff. To Scott’s relief he had been just as nervous, even shy and strangely, he had seemed hesitant to wrap his arms around Scott’s waist as they headed to the restaurant and despite himself, Scott was beginning to get unpleasant butterflies in his stomach about how nervous they both were.

But when they reached the restaurant and sat down, everything had just clicked and very soon, they were carrying on as normal, taking great pleasure in the looks they were getting (though Scott had felt the need to glower at an old woman who was looking down her nose at them). They had talked and relaxed in a way they never had before, and it occurred to Scott that he actually really liked dating Isaac, just being on a date with him, not having any expectations, just two guys who were in love having fun together. And as Isaac had pointed out, the lack of death threat had made for a nice change of pace.

After a great meal and a great evening, they had returned home, and with Melissa away out, Scott pulled Isaac back to his room and as usual, Isaac curled up into him, Isaac insisting they watch House of Cards. Scott had been initially sceptical, well, for five minutes. Well he’d only been sceptical for a few minutes before putting it on (Isaac, grinning naughtily, had been stroking his crotch and Scott was having a hard time saying no to him when he was doing that, and besides, he looked so adorable anyway) and once it was in, it had taken till the music had started to play and he was just as hooked as Isaac was. And after they finished that disc, well, it might have been slutty to have sex on the first date, but they certainly had, and neither had regretted it, Isaac moaning passionately as he and Scott, their naked bodies glittering with sweat and writhing on the bed, went at it, Scott forcing his cock into Isaac forcefully, Isaac moaning in pleasure, his fingers bunching in Scott’s hair.

Yeah it had been a pretty damn good first date all things considered, and waking up the next morning with Isaac with his arm holding his naked body to his, Isaac’s forehead leaning on his shoulder, Isaac’s stretched arm around his waist, holding hands, well that had been the best feeling, the best he’d had in a very long time.

Scott had kissed him awake and told him they passed the target, making Isaac look up at him, bleary eyed and confused, and Scott kissed him gently, telling him they’d made it past a week, and Isaac had grinned and asked suggestively if he was up for a repeat performance in celebration, which a delighted Scott had been more than willing to agree to.

And, if Scott had his way, certain acts of their first date would be repeated tonight as well.

He was beginning to understand why Stiles and Ethan kind of hated him and Isaac at times, since their other halves lived elsewhere. His actually lived with him and it was bloody awesome.

“Do I get to know what it is?” Scott asked hopefully, taking Isaac’s hand and squeezing it playfully, and Isaac frowned thoughtfully.

“No. But you do get a couple of clues. It’s one of the things I think I’m good that, no not that,” Isaac said with an exasperated but amused smile as Scott wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, “something else, and it’s something that we both probably wanted to do to each other, but because some moron dumped me, we didn't no matter how much we wanted to!” he said brightly, and that got Scott thinking, trying to figure out what he was thinking of and Isaac only smiled as Scott tried to puzzle out the mystery.

“You know, this is why I dislike having a smarter boyfriend than me.” He moaned petulantly, and Isaac grinned.

“Honey, everyone in the pack’s smarter than you.” He said pityingly, and Scott poked him, pretending to be hurt.

“Hmph. Come on, at least give me smarter than the twins! Or Derek!” he begged and Isaac laughed as they turned into the street containing the new nightclub, only to find it thronging with people, most of them school age (after all there wasn’t much for kids to do in Beacon Hills unless they were targets for the supernatural) but there were a few older ones milling about.

“Oh I’m so glad I’m not working tonight!” Isaac moaned in relief as Scott wrapped an arm around his waist, and Scott grinned.

“Yeah I am too.” He whispered into his ear, and Isaac nuzzled him a little, grinning.

“Yeah but you have a different ulterior motive than I do.” He chided slightly, and Scott used his Alpha vision and found the blazing aura that was Kira a little further up, and he led Isaac through the crowd, being banged into, jostled and hit on twice by girls (until Isaac had glowered at them and they had quickly made themselves scarce) before they finally found the rest of the pack.

The first thing Scott and Isaac noticed was the three younger kids, Liam, Mason and Garrett all looking as if they weren’t sure they were meant to be there, but Liam did look a little relieved to see Scott approaching.

“Where have you two been, they’re about to open the doors?” Stiles asked, his hand in Malia’s, who was looking at her feet, looking thoroughly miserable.

“We had a dinner date first. What’s up Malia?” Scott asked, sensing the wild girl’s preoccupation and she looked up at him with a miserable pout on her face.

“I hate wearing shoes!” she whined pathetically, and they both looked down to see that she did indeed, quite out of character, have a pair of shoes upon her feet, flats only, but still they were shoes.

“Aww sweetie, you look great!” Stiles encouraged her, and she pouted, and Scott had to admit, she did look nice, dressed in a red dress that reached to her knees.

“Of course she does, she’s has a Lydia Martin class makeover. And sweetie, the shoes suit you.” Lydia, dressed to the nines as always on such occasions, this time in a white dress with black flowers upon it and her hair curled into ringlets.

“But they’re shoes!” Malia protested and Kira and the twins laughed, while Mason looked at her in confusion.

“What’s so bad about shoes?” he asked, clad in a dark green shirt and jeans and Malia just shrugged helplessly.

“They’re shoes, I don't like wearing them!” she complained, so rolling his eyes in affection, Stiles kissed her to give her something else to occupy herself.

“I don't have nice shoes.” Kira moaned, looking at the black boots she was wearing with her black and red skirt over her tights.

Liam looked at her and grinned.

“You don't need them, you look good as it is. I mean, well,” he stuttered as Kira looked up at him in slightly surprise and Mason and Garrett grinned as he went scarlet, “what I mean is, you don't seem like that sort of girl, you’re much more exciting, you know, kick ass, I...forget it.” He mumbled softly, looking away and trying to hide his beacon red face, and the rest of the pack watched as Kira got the gist of what he was saying and a pleased smile came onto her face.

Sensing danger, as Lydia looked all too happy with this development, Danny proved to be their salvation as he craned over the heads of the crowd.

“Hey, they’re opening the doors.” He informed them, and seeing that Liam was making no effort to move, Scott detached from Isaac, who smiled a little and followed the twins as they shoved their way through the crowd (well they had hulking former Alpha brutes, it wouldn’t be right if they didn't use them) and Scott placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder, and the younger boy, his hair now more in a quiff than it had been, turned towards Scott looking embarrassed.

“Hey don't worry buddy, we’ve all done that.” He assured him, and Liam shook his head.

“I was just trying to be nice, and it came out all, well you heard!” he whined, and Scott shrugged.

“Hey relax about it, I’ve been Stiles best friend all our lives, and the amount of times I’ve seen him make a bigger fool of himself than that, you have a lot of catching up to do. Come on.” He told him and led the younger boy inside, Liam looking slightly more cheerful.

“So, I really get to be vice captain?” Liam asked from behind him, and Scott turned to him in surprise.

“I said you were didn't I? Besides, it’s better this way. You’re really good, we can keep each other good. And it saves me having to choose between Isaac and Stiles, and hopefully saves them bickering and driving me crazy.” He said optimistically, and Liam smiled.

“Thanks Scott. Hey, this place doesn't look half bad.” He commented, and Scott had to agree.

Far from the garish outlooks of many clubs, it had a dark blue scheme, giving it a similar appearance to how Derek’s apartment had looked when the twins had hijacked it for the blacklight party where the Oni had first shown up. One wall was a sort of deep purple, and studded into the wall were shining white lights, which also decorated the ceiling, combining with crescent shaped lights, giving it a sort of lunar like feel. There were many tables and chairs dotted around in a circle around the large main dance floor, and on the next tier up there were several booths of black leather couches with tables in front of them and on the wall opposite the entrance corridor was the large bar, with red lights shining up it and revealing the drinks stored behind it.

“Where are the others?” Liam asked, and Scott once again looked for Kira (her aura made her easy to find in a crowd) and he spotted them sitting at their ease in a booth close to the bar with a good overview of the rest of the club.

“Over here, come on.”

Music was pumping from the bandstand on the wall adjacent to the one with the bar, on a slightly raised booth that stretched to above the dance floor and excited youngsters were already crowding onto the dance floor and dancing, kissing, or in one case, looking as if they were trying to have sex in the middle of the dance floor.

“Are they allowed to do that?” Scott asked in disbelief as he saw them, the girl wrapping her legs around the guy she was with.

“Whoa.” Liam said weakly as her bra came flying off.

“Yeah, I think both of us are too young to watch that, come on.” Scott said and Liam following behind him, they sat into the booth with the others, all of them already sitting and relaxing at ease.

“Hey comfy seats!” Danny said happily, and Ethan nodded in agreement.

“Yeah and they don't smell as bad as the ones in Jungle do, less of spew and sex, more of leather and polish, nice.” He commented, and Mason nodded.

“Yeah I know, they stink. I hate Jungle anyway.” He commented, relaxing back in the seat between Danny and Garrett, who grinned cockily.

“How come?” Ethan asked, as he quite liked the gay night club in town, which he had decided it was his mission to introduce Scott and Isaac to (though Danny reliably informed him Scott had been before and had proved quite popular, as had Stiles with a couple, not that Danny had told him that).

“Do you get hit on by drag queens too?” Stiles asked sympathetically, making Malia, who was sitting between him and a smirking Lydia, turn to him in shock.

“Wait, what?” she demanded, and Stiles gave her a nervous grin.

“See, this is why I sit on the outside when we go places in case you decide to claw me.” He whispered, and she leaned forward and nibbled his ear a little, making him make a strange noise of pleasure.

“You don't always complain when I claw you.” She whispered, and he was still able to hear her perfectly over the blaring music.

Ignoring what the two of them were doing, Mason answered the question while Garrett tried and failed not to look pleased with himself.

“Because every time I go, Garrett comes with me as my wingman, and the jackass walks away with more numbers than I get!” he said indignantly, and Garrett burst out laughing properly, and Kira, who was beside him on the next seat, looked at him in confusion.

“Are you gay too then?” she asked, and Mason gave her a small exasperated smile.

“Do you think I would be as bothered if he was gay? The dickhead’s straight!” he complained, and the pack laughed.

“Sorry dude, you just don't have what I’ve got.” Garrett said cockily, leaning easily back into the chair and Mason hit him in annoyance.

“Jerk.” He complained with a small smile.

“How about we go and get everyone some drinks?” Stiles asked Malia, who had already taken off her shoes, making Lydia close her eyes in dismay, and the girl happily nodded.

Kira gave Lydia a small smile.

“Hey, you might get your wish though, if someone stands on her foot with heels on, she’ll know all about it.” She assured him and Scott groaned at the very thought, Malia would rip whoever did it to tiny little pieces.

Stiles and Malia descended the stairs, getting into the queue for the bar, and Stiles was about to ask Malia if she wanted a bottle or just a glass when a hand touched his shoulder.

“Stiles, hi!” a happy voice said and he turned around to see a tall girl with long brown hair, streaked with deep pink, smiling at him, clad in black jeans and trousers and a white vest.

“Caitlin, hi!” he greeted the girl in surprise.

The girlfriend of one of Jennifer’s many victims, the last time had seen her the two of them had made out at the blacklight party before he had left in order to discover that it was actually him who had sent Barrow after Kira, but that was another matter entirely.

“It’s great to see you, how’ve you been?” she asked, considering going for a hug but the look on Malia’s face made her reconsider that as an option.

“Um great actually, you? Do you work here?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Yep I was hired right off the bat. Tell you what, get your drinks and I’ll bring you a complimentary one how’s that sound?” she asked brightly, and Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, sure that sounds good. Oh, sorry, forgot, um, this is Malia, my girlfriend, Malia this is Caitlin, she’s, well she and I...” Stiles said awkwardly, and the hand that Malia had been slowly extending with a suspicious look on her face suddenly froze in midair.

Back at the booth they had found themselves, Liam and Garrett were talking about lacrosse, Danny and Ethan were making out, Aiden was talking to Lydia but it looked as though she didn't want to be talking to him, and Kira was talking to Scott, Mason and Isaac about sword fighting, which Mason seemed very interested in when she tailed off, looking over at the bar.

“Hey, isn't that the girl Stiles made out with at the blacklight party?” she asked, nodding towards Caitlin, and Scott nodded as he looked over.

“Yeah, that’s her, still don't remember her damned name.” He complained, and Isaac looked at Scott curiously.

“Um, you really think leaving him up there alone is a good idea?” he asked, and Scott shrugged.

“Why wouldn’t it be? They only made out the once, it was just a hookup.” He told him, waving it away and Lydia fixed him from a pitying look from across the table, moving her hand out of Aiden’s reach as he tried to take it, making him scowl.

“Yes, a hookup, which is a concept Malia totally does not get.” She said pointedly, and Scott exchanged a look with Kira and it suddenly clicked.

“Oh...god!” he moaned, leaping to his feet with Kira right behind him both of them hurrying towards them.

“Is she really that possessive?” Garrett asked, but Isaac shook his head.

“No, but she doesn't quite grasp the concept of hook-ups not meaning anything, so we better be safe than sorry. Aiden what is it?” Isaac asked, his eyes narrowed at the other wolf who gestured with his head towards the toilets, and as Ethan was clearly busy, Isaac got to his feet and followed the other wolf.

“Hey!” Kira said loudly, saving Stiles who had just been about to say that he and Caitlin had made out, and he looked like he could have kissed her.

“Geez, what’s taking you two so long? Hi, I’m Scott.” Scott said shaking Caitlin’s hand while Malia glared daggers at both her and Stiles.

“Caitlin.” She said, and Kira watched in amusement as his eyes widened in realisation, pleased that he finally knew the name.

“Um, drinks?” Stiles asked sheepishly, and he bade Caitlin goodbye, Malia following reluctantly in his wake as they headed to the bar.

Deciding he may as well make the most of this impromptu trip to the toilet, Isaac fixed Aiden with a glance as he watched the other wolf stare into the mirror, looking lost and confused, and very angry.

“What the hell is her problem? It’s like she doesn't want to be around me anymore, like she doesn't even want to know me anymore! What the hell did I do?” he demanded, his claws growing slightly and Isaac leaned against the sink unit.

“Aiden, calm down buddy.” He said softly, and Aiden glared at him, his eyes glowing blue, but Isaac let out a little warning growl, eyes flashing gold and Aiden bowed his head a little and retracted his claws.

He did enjoy being prime beta, he couldn't do as much as Scott could in terms of the pack, but he did enjoy occasionally pulling rank on the twins.

Not that he abused that power, not at all.

Well...if he did he couldn't be blamed, after all, he was only human.

“I know. Did you fight or anything?” Isaac asked, but Aiden shook his head, looking frustrated.

“No, if we had I wouldn’t be so bothered but now it’s just like she doesn't even want to be with me anymore, but she’s more than content to use me for sex when it suits her? How is that fair? She didn't even care when I was in the hospital!” Aiden snarled, but Isaac was too fast for him, grabbing his fist before he slammed it into the mirror, after all the place was new.

“Calm down.” Isaac intoned and Aiden shot him a venomous look.

“How did you cope when you and Scott weren’t dating?” he shot at him, as if knowing that would somehow fix his problem.

And in that, Isaac saw just how much Aiden was really hurting with all this. He had fallen in love with Lydia, just as Ethan had with Danny. The only problem was that upon his return from the grave, it was like Lydia suddenly didn't want to be with him anymore, and Aiden, who was obviously not used to caring for anybody as deeply as that other than his brother, didn't have the remotest idea of how to deal with this sudden reversal in fortunes.

And to make matters worse, none of them had the remotest idea of why Lydia was doing what she was doing to him. At first her hesitancy had been put down to what had happened with Allison, but as Aiden had said, she was more than content to talk to him when she wanted to have sex, it was just that everything else, for the rest of the time, it was like she didn't want to know or talk to him at all. She’d been avoiding him more and more the past three months and now it was getting to the stage where everyone could see what was coming, but the fact that Lydia was still using him for sex hadn't been lost on any of them, and Aiden for some reason seemed to be taking that as proof that she still cared about him the way he cared about her.

Whatever happened, it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“This is different than we were though. Aiden...I know you don't want to hear this but maybe she...” Isaac said gently, but the twin wolf shook his head stubbornly.

“No, I know what you’re thinking but...she does care about me. Well at least she used to, and I...I want to find out what it was I did to make her act like this. I want to fix it. Fix us.” He said, and he looked so earnest that Isaac couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

After all, the entire pack, including Ethan, seemed to be sensing where this was going. Lydia was returning to form and spending less and less time with Aiden who was meant to be her boyfriend, and Aiden was just letting her do it. The worst part of it was, they could all see how much she meant to him, but she apparently didn't, and it sucked.

“Aiden, just...be careful ok?” Isaac asked softly as he led them out of the toilet, and Aiden stopped suddenly, making Isaac bump into him.

“Sorry. But...do you think I’m being dumb?” Aiden asked softly, and Isaac hesitated, because this was the most vulnerable he had ever seen the other wolf, and he certainly didn't want to do anything that could turn out very badly for all of them.

No, he wasn’t being dumb. He was a guy who was in love with someone, and when that person didn't return your affections, it tended to make you do stupid things. He hadn't exactly been sensible when Scott had dumped him, and he could hardly call Aiden on what he was doing now. And it was all very well for the rest of the pack to see and comment, but this was different, and he didn't want to mess it up.

“Aiden, you love her. But, I’m just worried that you’re going to get yourself hurt. The way she’s been treating you recently, as far as we can see you haven’t done anything to deserve it. So just, be careful about it ok?” he asked, and Aiden, his face clouded, nodded and led the way back to their booth, where Stiles was currently trying to make Malia simmer down.

“She’s an ex girlfriend isn't she?” she demanded, the rest of the pack, the three youngsters as well, watching the exchange in rapt attention, and Aiden and Isaac came to a stop, Aiden grinning a little.

“No! We only ever made out.” He assured her and she looked at him untrustingly, and Stiles kissed her cheek.

“Malia, look I know you’re new to all this but, she doesn't mean anything like that to me. She’s a girl I kissed once, that’s all. She’s a friend sure, but nothing serious. Look, not every person you kiss becomes your girlfriend, good thing too, otherwise Scott would have been my boyfriend a long time ago. Oh god I just said that out loud didn't I?” he asked, going white and Scott shot him a betrayed, shocked look and Isaac turned to look at him expectantly, a slight grin on his face.

“Excuse me, what?” he asked, delighted as both Scott and Stiles went scarlet.

“Thanks Stiles, remind me to castrate you later. It’s nothing serious! We were really young!” Scott insisted and Mason grinned.

“Huh, you know if you two have some sort of secret relationship...” he began and Stiles shook his head.

“No, nothing like that! Look, we were really little, and...and we were playing Batman one day, and well it was only ever really the two of us! So, along with being Batman and Robin, not a word Danny,” Stiles demanded pointing at a delighted Danny who was shaking hard with suppressed mirthful laughter and Ethan had buried his head in his boyfriend’s shoulder to hide the fact that he was laughing too, “we also had to double as villains, and...well Scott was Poison Ivy.” He admitted feebly, at least relieved Malia no longer looked murderous but instead looked profoundly evil and he knew he was never going to hear the end of this.

“I don't get it.” Lydia said in confusion, and Aiden grinned malevolently, favouring both his Alpha, who had hidden his face in his hands, and Stiles, who was focusing as much as he could on Malia, with an evil grin.

“Well you wouldn’t, despite having a boyfriend,” he said, putting emphasis on that word, “who works in a comic shop. See, Poison Ivy is a seductress, and one of her most potent weapons...” he began, and an equally evil grinning Isaac finished his sentence for him.

“Is a toxic kiss. Aww you two are so cute! Does your mom and grandma know about this fight for Gotham’s soul?” he asked excitedly, and Scott turned, brown eyes wide and pleading.

That would be a no then.

“If you tell her, I, I, I’ll...” Scott spluttered his cheeks burning as the entire pack laughed around him, vowing to murder Stiles when he got the chance.

“Aww sweetie I wouldn’t do that, not when I have the ability to blackmail you with this little tidbit.” Isaac purred, sitting down beside Scott and stroking his thigh, and Scott sighed, giving a weak glare to his smugly smirking boyfriend.

“You’re evil.” He complained, and Isaac nodded.

“Um yeah!” he agreed as the rest of the pack laughed, and Liam grinned.

“Hey, maybe we can use that in lacrosse practice, you do badly you get a kiss from Poison Ivy here.” He teased, and Scott glowered at the three sniggering freshmen.

“I don't like you boys no more. And just remember, a secret Batman villain or not, I can make your lives miserable on the field.” He vowed as the pack’s attention turned back to Stiles and Malia.

“So, you don't like her like that?” Malia asked, and Stiles shook his head.

“No sweetie, you’re the one I like remember. Besides, I didn't even really know you when I kissed her, you’d only just been turned back from a coyote with a fur coat and bushy tail. Admittedly you were a cute coyote,” he granted with a slight grin.

“Obviously she wasn’t trying to eat you.” Kira said tartly, but he moved on.

“But you were still mostly a coyote. I don't like her that way ok? I love you.” He assured her and she finally simmered down with a small smile.

“So what, she thought she was a coyote when she was wild in the forest?” Mason muttered to Danny, who exchanged a brief, alarmed look with Ethan before nodding.

“Yeah, you know, Jungle Book kind of thing but coyotes instead of wolves.” He explained, and strangely, this seemed to satisfy the freshmen, which he counted as a win.

“Lydia, come on, you’re the queen bee around here, let’s dance.” Aiden ordered, and Lydia looked as though she was considering refusing but saw the pleading look on his face and nodded reluctantly.

“Come on, we can dance off dinner.” Isaac said, looking slightly shy (Scott knew he wasn’t comfortable dancing in public but he knew Scott liked it) so he allowed him to pull him to his feet and onto the dance floor.

Danny, Ethan and Mason leaned back in the seats and began talking, and Stiles and Malia nestled in together, holding hands and Kira was checking something on her phone. Garrett shot Liam an exasperated look, twitching his head towards Kira but the slightly younger boy shook his head adamantly, looking away from him. Garrett rolled his eyes, looking at him in exasperation. It was clear that his best friend liked what he saw in Kira, and she, even better, remained cheerfully oblivious. And considering what Liam’s life had been like recently, well, he could do with a girl to cheer him up. But Liam had always been nervous and shy around girls, especially girls he liked. Garrett was the one who had good luck with girls (except one, Violet, who he’d asked out on a date only to be told by her apologetically that even though he was very hot (he remember grinning proudly at that) she just wasn’t interested, and his face must have been a picture, so she leaned forward and had told him she was a lesbian, which was fair enough, couldn't blame her for not wanting to go out with him after that) but Liam, he was different.

Garrett looked musingly at Liam, who was looking at Scott hesitantly, watching him as he danced with Isaac, and he frowned, something looked a little off about the two of them.

“You looking at Scott and Isaac? There’s nothing wrong, it’s just them. It’s because Isaac’s taller, but he lets Scott lead, it looks a little off. See, and you moan at me for watching Dancing with the Stars.” Ethan told Danny cheerfully, and Garrett grinned.

He was about to sit beside Liam so he could tell him to ask Kira to dance, after all, she was just sitting there tapping her foot to the music, and Liam was sitting there looking nervous when Caitlin appeared with the drinks.

“Hey guys, one round on the house since you know me, and one you paid for.” She said happily, placing the drinks down.

“Thanks Caitlin. So, how long you on till?” Stiles asked, and she wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

“As long as it takes to get rid of everyone sadly. So, I’ll see you guys later?” she asked, and Malia wriggled a little in her seat, Stiles restraining her slightly with a sharp look and she harrumphed as Caitlin bid them goodbye.

“I don't like her.” She complained bitterly, and Stiles grinned in amusement.

“There’s a newsflash.” He quirked but when she fixed him with a steely gaze he wisely went quiet.

“Garrett! Hey over here!” a girl called and the blond freshman looked up to see a beautiful redhead waving at him.

“Hey Bella, guys, this is Bella a...well I suppose she’s a friend of mine.” He said, grinning, and Mason leaned close to Danny.

“That means he banged her.” He whispered and Danny snorted in amusement.

“Hi, the girls are asking if you three want to dance, no offence to any of you guys, but looking at McCall and Lahey down there, you all look pretty much entangled.” She said awkwardly, and Kira smiled.

“Don’t let us stop you.” She said good naturedly to the others, but looked at Liam curiously when he looked a bit put out by her saying that.

About to ask what was wrong with the younger boy, Garrett nodded.

“Sure. See you guys in a bit.” He said, and sighing wearily but smiling, Mason followed him towards the dance floor. Liam looked between the pack and Garrett and Mason, as though hesitant about whether to go with them or stay where he was, but Mason made the choice for him, dragging him away by his shoulder, shaking his head and scolding him slightly as he did it.

“What an odd kid.” Kira commented, watching Liam in interest and Malia and Stiles grinned at each other knowingly as Scott and the others came back from the dance floor.

“See this is good music to dance to.” Isaac commented sitting down beside Kira and thankfully grabbing one of his drinks, and Scott cocked his head as he looked at the filled dance floor.

“Yeah still say it’s odd music for a club.” He commented, but Lydia shrugged, sitting down in the seat Mason had vacated, forcing Aiden to sit down beside Malia, who’s gaze flickered between them but she, like the others said nothing, though Scott and Ethan both noticed Aiden’s eyes flash blue and his resultant scowl.

“It’s something for everyone, and most of the music’s been decent.” She commented, sipping her virgin cocktail.

“And Isaac’s right, it’s good music to dance to, it worked for Harry and Hermione, what’s wrong with us?” she pointed out, crossing her legs as Danny’s phone vibrated.

“Yeah but still.” Scott said and Isaac affected a pout.

“Does that mean you don't like doing slow dances with me?” he asked, a lilt in his voice and Scott stroked his thigh, grinning coy.

“I never said that, I just said the song seemed odd for the club. I like dancing with you.” He assured him, leaving his hand dangerously close to somewhere bordering on sexual harassment, but before Isaac could correct the situation, Ethan turned to look at his boyfriend.

“Are you going to tell me then?” he demanded, and Danny, who’s face had been the very picture of concern, jarred from his daydream back into reality.

“Huh?” he asked, and Ethan frowned in concern.

“It’s you, you’ve been weird for ages, for months, and it gets worse every time you get a text. What’s eating you?” he demanded, and Danny looked at him, as if he was about to deny there was anything wrong at all.

But, as he saw the faces of the entire pack looking at him in concern, only wanting to help, worried about whatever was causing him grief, he gave a heavy sigh and decided he ought to tell them. After all, he’d been keeping this far too quiet for far too long, and if it hadn't been for what had happened to Allison he probably would have told them all a long time ago, but now, he supposed, there was really no other recourse. And he thought he had been sly about it.

“Ok...look, don't get mad at me, but there’s something I should have told you months ago. See, the thing is, Jackson’s missing. He’s been missing for months, he disappeared just before Allison died.” He told them, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.

It took a while to come. The twins exchanged looks, but Kira and Malia shrugged at each other, never having met Jackson and hence this news was not quite as earth moving to them. The others however were a different story.

Stiles sat up a little straighter, looking at Danny in disbelief. Isaac’s face twitched a little but other than that he did nothing. Scott however looked at Danny as though he was seeing him for the first time, his mouth slightly open in shock, and Danny finally made himself turn to look at Lydia, who was shaking her head weakly.

“What do you mean missing?” Stiles demanded harshly, and Ethan stirred a little, but Danny put his hand on his knee, preventing him from getting all macho and turned to face Stiles, feeling the accusatory glares from the eldest members of the pack.

“No one’s seen or heard from him in months, it’s gotten to the stage that the police are...assuming he’s dead. That’s what his dad just told me, they’re basically saying it’s...that something’s happened to him.” Danny explained softly, his voice cracking a little and Ethan rubbed his hand down his back.

“Wait, what? They think Jackson’s dead?” Isaac demanded weakly, and Stiles shot him a scathing look.

“Yeah that’s generally what assuming he’s dead means.” He sniped, and Isaac snarled at him.

“I know that, but are they saying he is dead, or just assuming because they can’t find him?” he bit out resentfully, and Scott glowered at both of them to stop their bickering, they had bigger problems at the moment.

“Danny? Is that what they’re saying? Do they really think Jackson’s dead?” he asked weakly.

It was...a strange feeling. Jackson, rich, snobbish, arrogant, entitled and kind of a general all round douchebag, well he was far from his favourite person. But, fighting him when he was the kanima, Scott...he’d come to learn more about Jackson, and had become a lot more sympathetic towards him. He wasn’t exactly his friend, but unlike the rest of them, other than Danny and Lydia, he had actively been trying to save him out of genuine concern for Jackson. He hadn't wanted Jackson dead, though he knew many, Stiles and Isaac both included, wouldn’t have cared either way. He did care for Jackson in his own way, and hearing he could be dead, well...there was a sort of dull ache in his heart which he had never thought he would feel anything like in regards to Jackson.

“Danny? Is that what they’re saying?” Lydia demanded urgently, her face paler than usual, and Danny, his brown eyes starting to fill with tears, nodded.

“Yeah. They’re assuming that since the place was ransacked and he vanished without a trace, without a phone, anything, three months ago, they’re reckoning that he’s...that he’s dead.” He told her and she closed her eyes in despair, pulling at her long red hair, Aiden looking at her with an odd expression on his face, a sort of mix between jealousy and the need to comfort her.

“He’s been gone three months? Why on earth didn't you tell us?” Stiles demanded, but despite knowing he was on dangerous ground because Ethan was glaring at him with glowing blue eyes, he pressed on, “your best friend in the world has vanished off the face of the earth and you didn't think we’d want to know? What the hell?” he stormed, and Danny glowered back at him.

“No, I didn't tell you. At first...at first I thought he might just come here, that he was coming home, so his parents asked me to keep it quiet from you guys, but...it got longer, and no one heard from him. I know I should have told you all sooner...” he began, but then Scott spoke up, his warm brown eyes looking at Danny quizzically.

“So why didn't you?” he asked, but unlike Stiles angry voice, it was calm, soft, not judging, just wanting to know, and Danny faced the Alpha, shamefaced.

“Because...I didn't think there was anything we could do. I mean, I know you’d all want to help, even though it’s Jackson and he made your lives miserable a lot...but he was in London, at least he was meant to be. I knew none of us could afford to go chasing off to London, and even then it would be a long shot. And...like I said, it was just after Allison died, you all had enough on your plates without me adding this to them. You weren’t coping well and your powers were off, Aiden was still in the woods, you all had enough on your plate. I know I should have told you, but I didn't know what to do, you had enough to deal with as it was.” He said weakly, and Scott nodded.

“You still should have told us.” He told him, but despite the furious looks on the faces of Stiles and Lydia, he had clearly decided to let the matter drop.

“Ok, so he’s been missing three months right? And just because the police are assuming he’s dead doesn't mean he actually is. So, how do we go about finding him?” Ethan asked, rubbing Danny’s back as he struggled to stop crying.

He did get it, after all, the last three months, what with one thing and another, had all been very hectic, and he was certainly right that none of them could afford a trip to London to try and rescue Jackson, wherever he was. He got it, but he had a feeling he was going to have to have words with Stiles who was still berating Danny for not telling them.

“Stiles.” Scott said in a warning voice, and Stiles wisely went quiet while the others all pondered.

“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?” Kira asked.

True she had never met Jackson but Lydia had told her plenty, and while she had told her the negative stuff, all Kira got from that was that he was very important to her. And besides, they were a pack, so even if it was just Danny who wanted to find him, they would all help anyway.

“Theoretically, we could be able to track him.” Aiden reasoned, and Scott looked at him in surprise.

“How? He isn't part of my pack, how can we track him?” he asked, confused.

“Well it’s simple. Jackson was the first one Derek bit right? But he became the kanima, not a wolf, so as a result, he wasn’t Derek’s prime Beta. That’s how Isaac became Derek’s second in command, because Jackson couldn't. That means that since Isaac was Derek’s prime Beta...”

“When Isaac defected to you, after Jackson was cured of being the kanima, in theory he would have dragged Jackson down with him. He basically dragged Jackson with him into the pack, which means, you’re his Alpha, which means you should be able to track him.” Ethan finished and Isaac looked a little wary.

“Huh...do we really need to find him? I mean, if he finds out I made him your Beta he will literally kill me.” He told Scott but the Alpha waved it off.

“Never mind that now, we can deal with it when we find him. So, if we do that, what else can we do?” he asked desperately, and Isaac pulled out his phone.

“We can call Chris, he’s in France at the moment, I can ask him to swing by and have a check, see if he can find anything out.” He volunteered, and Scott nodded.

“Ok...hey Danny, if he’s alive, we will find him ok? I promise.” Scott said softly, and he looked up at the Alpha slowly.

“Thank you. And I’m so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but his parents were begging me to keep it quiet, I-” he rambled, but Scott shook his head.

“Doesn't matter, we know now. Alright, Stiles, see if your dad can get us any information that might help, Isaac you call Chris and ask him to help too. Danny, tell his parents you told us and we’ll do anything we can to help.” He said, and Aiden looked at Scott curiously.

“But if he’s dead-” he began, but Scott shook his head stubbornly.

“I’m not believing that till we have actual proof. Heh, look at you.” He reminded him and Aiden smiled a little and nodded, yeah no one would have thought he would still be alive either.

“I can’t believe you didn't tell us.” Lydia croaked and Danny looked at her desperately as she got to her feet, her head suddenly splitting.

“Lydia? Are you hearing something?” Malia asked nervously, and Lydia suppressed a grunt of pain beneath a grimace, her head was starting to clamour with the various voices in her head

No wonder Meredith had gone round the twist, how did anyone cope with this?

“Yes, it’s because I know about Jackson now, my head’s suddenly kicked into overdrive, I hear everything again, just like I did before...” she gasped, kneading her temples, trying to shut them all off but she couldn't, it wasn’t working, her head was splitting, the voices were a din in her head, echoing around her skull, like nails down a chalkboard.

“Lydia, listen, calm down. Concentrate, it’ll be ok.” Stiles said, getting to his feet and trying to calm the banshee, but it was too late.

“Ugh, it’s going to drive me crazy.” She wailed, and Stiles was wondering what to do when Aiden interceded, standing between the two of them, his face determined.

“You’re going home.” He told her firmly, and she opened her mouth to protest, she wanted to help, these damned voices had to be good for something but as a particularly strong pulse blazed through her brain, she relented and gave a weak nod.

“Ok, fine.” She whispered, and headed for the door leaving the others beginning operations to find one of their own.

The music was so loud, it was deafening her. Or was that the voices, the screams? She couldn't tell anymore, all she knew was she had to get out of here quickly. Making her way through the throng of students in the club, totally ignoring a concerned sounding Mason as he asked her what was wrong, she staggered towards the door, her head thumping, her vision blurring with the pain, and she bit her lip to stop herself from screaming, she needed to scream, but she didn't want to. Screaming was bad, it meant that someone was dead or was about to die and no, she couldn't do that anymore. This was Jackson, the first person she had ever loved, she had just lost her best friend, she had nearly lost the guy she loved, she was damned if she was going to scream for her first love too.

She finally made it out into the street, careening down the alley, bouncing off the walls several times and finally coming to a stop down a secluded alley, panting and wheezing, her brain feeling as if it was on fire.

And then suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her, holding her to them and she shook before pushing away from the one who had hugged her.

“You ok?” Aiden asked huskily, tilting her chin up to face him, and in a moment of clarity, she decided.

It had to be now.

“Yes actually. Aiden...I’m sorry. But we can’t be together anymore.” She told him, and strangely, as she finally admitted it to herself, the pain lessened. She didn't know if the pain was in her heart, or in her head, but either way she would take it.

Aiden looked at her in disbelief. Wait, she had just found out her ex boyfriend was missing, her banshee powers were spiralling out of control, and she was suddenly deciding they couldn't be together anymore?

“What are you talking about?” he asked, shocked and she looked at him sadly.

“Aiden, I’m sorry. It’s been coming for a while, I’ve been trying to push you away. I don't want to be with you anymore. I can’t keep pretending like this, it’s not fair on either of us.” She explained, and Aiden looked at her in shock.

“Wait, you literally are breaking up with me? Seriously?” he demanded urgently, and she nodded, the pain still throbbing in her temples, but strangely, now she had something else to focus on, it wasn’t quite as strong.

She looked at him sadly, her face betraying nothing.

“Yes. I know how it seems but, trust me, this isn't because of what’s going on. I just can’t do this anymore. I don't want to be with you anymore, it’s as simple as that.” She told him, and his eyes flashed blue, but his lip trembled a little, which was a weakness he brutally suppressed.

“But why? Lydia, whatever it was I did, I swear I can change! I...I love you! Is that what you wanted to hear, I love you! Why are you doing this?” he demanded angrily, his temper rising.

After everything, after nearly dying for her, to prove himself to her, after everything he had done, fighting to save her, fighting for her friends, for her pack, she was seriously ending this? He knew there had been something wrong the last few months but he had assumed that was just the fallout from Allison dying, nothing more. Deep down, he had suspected where this was going but now, being faced with the actual reality of it, he didn't know what to do.

He loved her.

“I need to Aiden. I can’t be with you anymore, I can’t see you anymore. I’m sorry.”

“But, why? Why are you doing this, you’ve been pulling away for months! Lydia!” he urged, his temper flaring, but Lydia took a deep breath as if to steady herself.

“Because it’s over.” She stated with a terrible finality, and with that simple little phrase, something very integral between them broke and she turned away from the werewolf she had just dumped.

And so, taking a breath to steady herself once again, she blinked tears from her eyes as she turned her back on Aiden, pity and sorrow filling her, and she started moving away without looking back, her head held high as she moved away.

Behind her Aiden was reeling. She had dumped him. She didn't want to be with him anymore. No explanation, no nothing. She had just decided that they were over, that she didn't want to see him any longer. And she turned away, strolling away from him as if what they had had meant nothing to her at all, as if he, the one who had nearly died for her, to prove himself to her, meant nothing to her at all. He was worthless to her.

He had gotten close to her as part of Deucalion’s plan, she was never meant to feel anything for her, but he had fallen totally in love with her, and it was her actions that had saved him from the Darach. He had loved her, she had been the first girl he had ever truly loved, and now...now he saw what he meant to her.

What she had been meant to him all along.

Absolutely nothing at all.

Aiden roared at her furiously, claws extending, eyes flashing murderous blue and she hesitated a little, clearly fearing what was about to come...but he couldn't. However much he wanted to, however angry he now was, he literally couldn't do it. He wanted her to hurt, to feel the pain he was feeling, was his chest meant to feel as if a gaping hole had been ripped in it? Was this love?

Stupid lousy Alpha making him compassionate, rubbing off on him!

He wanted her to feel this pain, to not be walking off as if he didn't matter, but deep down, no matter how much he wanted to, how much he wanted to punish her for what she had just done to him, the pain she had just caused him, to storm at her, to rage at her, to curse her for using him, for leading him on...he knew he couldn't.

Because while she didn't love him, he did love her.

He snarled angrily, bitter, and was trying to decide what to do when he suddenly caught a scent of something new on the air, and he froze.

There was another creature in town.

Sniffing, he looked around, seeing nothing, but as he edged up the alleyway, the scent was getting stronger, and as a cloud shifted, bathing him and his retreating exgirlfriend in moonlight, he happened to look up onto the roof of the building that the alley curved around, and saw her.

She was standing on the rooftop, moonlight shining on her. She was wearing a tattered and frayed grey dress, parts of it ripped and trailing along the ground. A rough cloak was draped around her shoulders, drifting in the wind, frayed, with its share of holes. Her body was stooped, a sort of hump on her back forcing her head forward, her back curved slightly to accompany for her peculiar posture. Her legs, revealed by the wafting of her dress, were also long, but bent in the middle, making her look something like a hunchback.

She had long, needle like fingers, dexterous and brittle, topped with black fingernails that glinted in the moonlight. Her face was meant to be beautiful, and perhaps had been once, but was no longer. Sunken and gaunt, her face was skeletal, sagging in places while dangerously thin in others. Her mouth was long and wide, like a whale’s maw, her lips a deep red, and as she smiled darkly, he saw that she had no teeth. Her thin features extended to her eyes, which had horizontal slit like black pupils, inside eyes that blazed a swirling lilac colour, as if made up of energy. Her hair was mostly white, catching in the wind, with only the hair closest to her face still a deep brown, giving her hair a marbled look.

But most curious of all was her neck.

There was no front to it, as if the skin had been ripped clean off to reveal her wind pipe, oesophagus and vocal chords, but there was no blood. Thick chords made up the entire neck, which still existed, it was just the front that didn't exist, but one in particular caught his eye. While the various chords and tubes were bad enough, there was one that drew his gaze. It was a smaller one, a thinner one, pulsing slowly. And it was glowing, shining with a low pulsing white light.

She gave him a condescending smile, and Aiden snarled, prepared to make his move, when those awful lilac eyes that made her look insane focused on Lydia, and it suddenly made sense to him. He didn't know how, but he knew.

She was here for Lydia.

The woman above them rolled her head back as if she was cackling with insane laughter, and she opened her mouth, white energy coming from the pulsing and glowing chords as she did it. She then reached down to her leg, and pulled hard on something hidden by her dress, and a second later, a lethal black whip was in her hand.

And with a final, wide mouthed, mocking smile, she sprang from the building towards Lydia, her whip raised for the kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mysterious new creature and why is she gunning for Lydia? And why on earth has she broke up with Aiden?
> 
> That's the end of episode one, so hope you enjoyed, I would really appreciate comments and kudos to let me know what you thought of the first episode of the season!
> 
> Until next time!


	7. Episode 2: Silence Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack encounters a dangerous new enemy, a potential friend arrives in town and Lydia receives an unexpected delivery

Two-Pack II

 

“LYDIA!” Aiden yelled, shoving her out of the way as their mysterious attacker cracked her whip.

Aiden roared in pain as the whip bit into his skin, but he tackled a shrieking Lydia to the ground, throwing them both into the dirt as their attacker landed catlike, cracking her whip again and advancing upon them.

“What the hell?”! Lydia demanded, turning to face him but then caught sight of their attacker who gave them a sadistic toothless grin and advanced upon the two of them.

“Lydia, run!” Aiden snarled, roaring in challenge, his eyes glowing blue and Lydia looked up at her ex boyfriend in shock, trying to process just what was happening.

This woman, this hunchback with her neck ripped open had leapt down from the top of the building, that lethal looking whip with the tassel of lashes at the end about to take her head off if Aiden hadn't saved her.

And after she had just dumped him.

If she didn't know better, she’d say he’d planned it to make her feel bad.

The woman glowered silently, readying her whip, preparing to fend off the snarling werewolf who was crouched, ready to leap at her and attack.

“Lydia go!” Aiden demanded as the woman made her move, her white hair flapping in the wind.

Cracking the whip, she went right for Aiden’s head, but the young leather clad wolf was much too fast for her, elegantly weaving out of the way before propelling himself into the air, somersaulting through it and landing with his hand down on the ground before he leapt at the woman, his claws going right for her exposed neck. The woman looked as if she was laughing, but curiously, there was no noise coming from her mouth as she did so. Her blazing lilac eyes narrowed, her toothless mouth opened in silent laughter, she easily swung out of the way of Aiden’s claws, kicking him in the chin and knocking him off course, her eyes on Lydia as she pulled herself to her feet. The woman then slapped him with the back of her hand, and to his great surprise, he felt the blow like a hammer strike, which sent him spiralling through the air, slamming noisily and painfully into a pile of bins. Groaning and snarling in pain, he pushed himself out of the bins, his glowing blue eyes alert for their attacker, but to his surprise she was nowhere to be found.

“She just vanished, she was there a second ago but I was making sure you were alright and then, Aiden look out!” Lydia shrieked as the woman dropped down onto Aiden’s back, sending him sprawling to the ground with a grunt of annoyance.

Rolling over, claws out, ready to take out this bitch because she was seriously starting to annoy him, he then whimpered as her whip cut into his face, rending a deep cut that sent blood splattering all over the ground. Gasping in pain, the cut burning like a live wire, he was about to get up when her heeled boot suddenly crashed into his chest.

While usually this wouldn’t have bothered him, her heel happened to stab him right in the middle of the chest, which of course was the same place where the Oni had stabbed him and nearly damn well killed him.

Aiden roared in pain, Lydia crying his name, and the marble haired woman swept down, her long fingers clutching around Aiden’s neck making him choke as she squeezed tight, her swirling, slit like lilac eyes narrowed in cold pleasure as she opened her gaping maw.

Aiden choked, his legs kicking desperately, but the pain of her boot in his chest was still burning through him, his strength sapped by her decidedly underhanded move. Gasping in pain, tears of pain shimmering in his eyes, gasping for breath, he snarled as much as he could, his eyes starting to roll because of her tight grip, and stabbed his claws into her hands.

The woman reared back as if she was screaming in pain, and it finally clicked that this woman hadn't made a single sound since she’d attacked. She was totally silent. He could hear Lydia running towards him, shrieking at the woman who was attacking him, and as he choked, he saw the woman open her mouth wide just above his own.

Panic filled him, she was going to kiss him. He knew he should be concerned about other problems but she was about to kiss him for goodness sake, this toothless monster. But to his great surprise, he suddenly felt the back of his throat burn like wildfire, and his mouth felt as if he was at the dentist as there was a sensation of something being sucked out of him and with a joyous flourish, she let go of his neck, backflipped away from Lydia swinging a metal pipe at her, and stood at her full height, no longer hampered by her stoop or bent legs, a pale white glow now coming from her exposed neck.

“Thanks lover boy.” She said in a girly, playful voice and a weak Aiden pushed himself back to his feet, glaring at her.

Time to call in the cavalry.

He opened his mouth to roar...and no sound came out. Lydia looked at him in disbelief as he tried to talk, tried to make any sound at all, but all he heard was the woman’s mocking laughter.

She had taken his voice.

“Silly wolf. Now, how about you get out of the way while I take down your girlfriend here?” she purred, and to both of their surprise she now had two teeth in her mouth.

Aiden stepped in front of a panicking Lydia and the woman smiled coldly.

“Oh alright, I’ll kill you, then I’ll kill her!” she screamed, and her lilac eyes surging with power, she sprang into action and cracked her whip, going right for Aiden’s head.

 

XX

 

“Ugh!” Ethan gasped in the toilet, and Danny, who had been splashing some water onto his face, turned in confusion, his panicking eyes finding his bent double boyfriend.

“Ethan, what is it?” he asked urgently, and Ethan gasped in pain, looking up at him weakly.

“Aiden, something just hit him in the chest, right where the scar is. He’s in trouble.” H breathed weakly, and Danny nodded, not questioning him but taking his hand and leading Ethan from the toilet, right to where Scott and Isaac were getting ready to go.

“Aiden’s in trouble!” Danny informed them as they came to a stop, and Malia looked at them, surprised.

“How on earth do you know that? He only just left!”

“It’s a twin thing, trust me, he’s in danger!” Ethan insisted, running his hands through his hair in frustration but Scott held up a hand, quieting his Beta while the others all watched intently. Scott closed his eyes, and growled in pain as he felt the distress one of his Betas was in.

“He’s right, Aiden’s under attack, Lydia too, and whatever it is, it’s terrifying Lydia. Come on.” He ordered and with that the entire pack followed him to the door. Scott turned to face Stiles but he raised a finger threateningly.

“Don't even think about it Scott, we’re all in this together, there’s no way Danny or I are staying behind, you hear me?” he warned, Scott opening his mouth to protest but the look on his face told him it was pointless.

“Fine then, but if you die, you better not haunt me. Hey Liam!” Scott called to the younger student and he smiled happily at the approaching group, his eyes lingering on Kira for a second longer than necessary.

“What’s up? Oh, are you guys leaving?” he asked, sounding kind of bummed about that, but Scott didn't have time to consider the younger boy’s feelings.

“Yeah, I need you to do me a massive favour, keep everyone in here for a few minutes ok?” he asked, fixing him with a pleading look, and Liam looked confused, but nodded.

“Um, ok, sure but, how?” he asked weakly, and Isaac was so thrilled that he didn't ask why he relaxed a little.

“Use your imagination. Thanks squirt.” Scott said fondly clapping the younger boy on the shoulder as he led the pack out of the club.

“Um you do realise some of us don't have any weapons at all?” Kira asked as they followed Scott and Ethan down an alleyway heading towards where Aiden was, and Isaac gave them a wicked grin.

“Au contraire.” He told them smugly, and somehow pulled his ring daggers from somewhere about his person, making Scott fix him with an incredulous look.

“You brought those on our date? And how the hell did you hide them?” he demanded weakly, and Isaac grinned.

“Well the guy I was seeing tends to get a bit grabby,” he said teasingly, and Scott shot him a perturbed look, “besides, it’s usually me who gets ambushed and I’m sick of it, it happening to Aiden is a change of pace. And never you mind where I had them.” He told his boyfriend as the pack ran down the next alley, Aiden and Lydia’s scents getting stronger all the time.

“Yeah but last time you had one in your boxers, how you didn't hurt yourself is beyond me, it nearly hurt me when...never you mind how it nearly hurt me actually.” He muttered to himself, seeing the entire pack was now very interested in what he was about to say and decided to focus on other matters.

Fortunately, they entered the alley where Aiden and Lydia were, to see a frightened Lydia pulling Aiden to the ground as a woman with marbled hair cracked a whip at the two of them, nearly taking off Aiden’s head, missing him by inches as he fell backwards.

“Why the hell didn't he roar for help?” Danny demanded, as Aiden propped himself up, his face the very picture of relief as he beheld the pack.

And then, it was as if he started to talk, and it suddenly dawned on them why he hadn't roared for help, he couldn't, as he had no voice.

“Help, she took his voice!” Lydia cried, and the woman cracked her whip at her, making Lydia cry out in pain as the whip cut into her arm.

Scott growled menacingly, and the woman turned, and Scott was surprised to see a tall woman, dressed in a rough, tattered grey dress and cloak, with black heeled boots on. Her brown hair gave way into a mass of long white hair that hung down to her tatty dress covered shoulders. She had a wide, gaping mouth with only a few teeth, her lips a vivid red. Her fingers were long and brittle, black and glinting in the moonlight coming from above. Her eyes were a swirling lilac colour, and she had horizontal slit like pupils.

But it was her neck, her tubes and chords exposed, several of them glowing white, casting a small aura around her revealed innards.

“What the hell?” Malia demanded in shock but Scott ignored her and glowered at the woman.

“Ah, a pack. Wonderful.” The woman gloated in amusement, her voice high and lilting as she readied her whip for the next round.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Scott growled, his eyes flashing red as his claws grew, and with a savage roar, which was then backed up by the roars of Isaac and Ethan and the howls of Malia and Kira, the entire pack sprang into action against this one who had dared attack two of their own.

Scott went right for her exposed neck with his claws but she was far too fast for him, her own savage black nails stabbing through his shirt and ripping down his flesh. Scott roared in pain as Ethan tackled the woman but she simply used him as a springboard, thrusting herself into the air and she cracked her whip, her whip wrapping around his waist and with a flick of her wrist, she sent a howling Ethan flying through the air, her whip cracking as she did so, slamming him into the wall of the building beside them, drowning him in a deluge of loose bricks.

Aiden gave a silent scream, which Danny more than made up for, and he pounced at his attacker, swearing and making murderous vows silently but the woman simply landed, catlike, and arced a perfect leg into his neck, sending him to the floor with a crash.

“Scott, she’s getting stronger, she’s looking better too, she looked like an old crone when she first attacked!” Lydia yelled as Stiles and Danny rushed to her side, forcing her back away from the fight as the creatures surrounded this new creature.

The woman cracked her whip, catching Malia in the chin and knocking her off balance, a shortfall the woman quickly made up for, springing towards her and hammering her fist into her chest, sending her crashing into a host of bins. The twins roared (well Aiden tried to) and dashed at the woman but she leapt out of their way, landing behind them and turning, her whip tying around both their waists before she stuck her long nails into both their backs, dropping them to the floor. Kira then bounded towards her, but while she forced the woman to back off from the twins, she had landed right in her trap.

The woman grabbed Kira by the hair, dragging her down and she yelped in pain as the others headed to free her from her predicament. Sensing trouble, the woman cracked her whip to keep the others at bay before she pulled a screaming Kira off her feet by her hair, Kira crying and whimpering in pain and the woman gave a sadistic laugh as she slammed Kira down into the ground, burying her in the concrete. Opening her mouth a crying Kira suddenly clasped her throat as a stream of white energy surged from her mouth, the woman’s mocking laughter becoming stronger as she sucked the white energy in, Kira grasping her throat silently.

The woman laughed and Scott looked at her in shock as the aura around her neck got stronger, and a little bit of skin started to grow across, as if to seal up the wound. More teeth developed too, and her hair began to become more brown than white.

“What the hell is she?” he demanded, and Isaac growled, that had just been harsh what she had done to Kira.

“Who cares?” he challenged and threw one of his knives through the air.

The woman, who hadn't expected such a move, cried out in pain as the blade buried itself hilt deep in her shoulder. Screaming furiously, it was like the entire street shook as she did so before she gestured at Isaac, and Scott roared in fury as his boyfriend was blasted off his feet, crashing him into the same wall Ethan had been crashed into. Malia leapt in front of him, her claws ripping into the woman’s already tattered dress, before springing onto her chest and biting down on her neck. Ordinarily Scott would chastise her, but one, she was supernatural and two, she had just blasted Isaac away so he was actually cheering Malia on as he closed on their new foe. Malia grabbed the dagger in the woman’s shoulder, the woman giving an impotent scream before she poked at Malia’s eyes with her long fingers, making her kick off the woman and flip to the ground. The furious woman advanced only to be beset by a now thoroughly pissed off Alpha.

Scott roared in challenge, claws ripping for her face and her throat. The woman span out of the way, bending down and elbowing him in the stomach before slamming her fist down onto the back of his head as he bent over, wheezing for air. Crashing the Alpha to the ground she viciously stomped him into the ground and opened her mouth when the twins and Kira surrounded her, Aiden shouldering her away from his Alpha with a silent snarl. Aiden went right for her eyes but she was much too fast, snaring his wrists in her iron strong grip and he yelled in silent pain as she snapped both wrists in two. Ethan called out for his brother and Kira delivered a roundhouse kick to their attacker, but she simply span and span Aiden as a weapon, crashing him into Kira, sending her sprawling to the ground. She then smirked and slammed Aiden’s head into a wall, where he dropped down, unmoving.

“AIDEN!” Ethan yelled furiously, cartwheeling his way towards her, his vicious claws ripping into her skin and dress.

The woman gave a coy laugh and punched him in the nose, knocking him back as he saw stars. Kira tried to trip the woman up but she simply stomped down on Kira’s ankle, making her yell in silence. Scott and Isaac had recovered and joined the battle, Malia right behind them as Ethan continued his assault, and it looked as though she had finally had enough.

Trying to gouge out his eyes forced the wolf to fall back, and with that little reprieve, she took a step back and screamed. The entire pack covered their ears as the sound echoed in their ears, shattering the lights and plunging them into darkness as they reeled. And it was then they saw it, swirling ripples of white light coming from her mouth, which she then fired right into Ethan’s chest.

Ethan screamed in pain as he felt numerous bones crack, the woman laughing sadistically. She then opened her mouth wide, light pouring from a whimpering Ethan’s mouth as he dropped to the floor, and she cracked her whip into his face, spraying Malia with his blood as he went still, the woman’s hair now more brown, her stoop and bent legs gone, with her mouth nearly half filled with teeth, and a smaller hole exposing her vocal cords and windpipes.

“No!” Danny cried, watching as he and Stiles directed Lydia to the end of the alley and back into the light.

Kira attempted to grab the woman’s leg but the woman span and kicked her in the head with such force that Kira’s head slammed back and she slumped back into the ground. Malia roared in fury, pouncing as did Isaac, twirling both daggers. The woman snarled in annoyance before turning to gesture at Malia, sending her tumbling into the bins, but the plan worked and the woman let out a furious scream as Isaac plunged his daggers into her lower back. Turning, her face livid, she screamed right in front of him, making Isaac scream in pain himself, falling back in pain, clutching his head as he tried to block out the scream, blood trickling from his nose and eyes as her scream continued. Scott roared furiously and rushed to his boyfriend’s aid, determined to rip her in two but the woman was too fast, opening her mouth and she rendered Isaac speechless as well, further restoring herself. She gave Scott a mocking, cold smile before she hammered Isaac in the chest, sending his body flying through the darkness into the bins, his head striking one and he slid down the side of one, unmoving.

“Isaac!” Scott roared and Malia also growled in challenge to this woman, both of them charging at her together, determined to end her.

Chuckling, the woman simply gestured, sending both of them high into the air and allowing them to crash back down to the ground with a bone cracking impact, burying them in rubble. Malia and Scott groaned as they tried to pursue the woman but she was advancing with deadly intent on Stiles, Lydia and Danny, her whip raised to end her opposition, a murderous look in her eyes.

“Lydia, get out of here!” Stiles ordered her but before she could say anything, the woman cracked her whip.

Stiles gasped in pain as the whip coiled around him, and she span him through the air before releasing him, allowing his much frailer human body to slam into the wall with deadly force, Stiles dropping to the ground and remaining unmoving. Lydia and Danny turned to run but the woman was too fast, leapfrogging off the walls and landing menacingly in front of them. She then punched Danny in the face, sending him hurtling up the pitch black alley with a cry and when he hit the ground, he moved no more. Lydia backed away and the woman reached for her throat only to screech as Scott sunk his claws into her hand.

Throwing her bodily down the alleyway, she ploughed into the ground only for Malia to pounce on her, her teeth going right for her neck. The woman chuckled darkly, and allowed Malia to bite down on her wrist, Malia’s eyes bulging in surprise and the woman headbutted the girl, dazing her. As Malia tried to get her bearings, she pulled on the coyote’s hair, then chopped into her neck. Scott roared as the woman got to her feet and crashed Malia’s head into the earth and gestured with both hands, sending the Alpha who was bounding towards her flying back the way he came as she opened her mouth and white energy streamed from Stiles, Danny and Malia, leaving a long slit in her neck, a pulsing white light now glowing like a sun around it.

She chuckled, the very sound grating on Scott’s nerves as he leapt the expanse of the alley, landing catlike in front of her before plunging his claws into her legs. Screaming in pain, the woman tried to punch him in the head but he flipped back out of the way and swiped his claws at her ripping into her chest, her arms, and across her face. Snarling in satisfaction as he heard her screams, he finally got his claws into her healing neck and ripped it savagely, a chunk of flesh coming flying off, and the woman screeched in fury as white energy surged from her glowing chords into Ethan, Kira and Danny’s unmoving bodies. Deciding to work that out later, Scott swiped upwards, trying to end this quickly but the woman flipped over, taking Scott with her and using her momentum to crash him down onto his back. Turning she attempted to stomp him out but his feet then crashed into her stomach, making her wheeze and he gambolled to his feet, twirling and turning, flipping and dodging, his claws ripping into her, splattering the entire area with her blood before piercing the back of her neck with claws and forcing her head down, about to slash his other hand down and finish this when she punched him in the knee, buckling it and dropping him to the ground, Scott whimpering in pain as he dropped.

The woman twirled around Scott, the Alpha growling in righteous fury, turning to bite her leg, but her foot crashed into his jaw, jerking his head around painfully. She then seethed in malicious pleasure as she wrapped her whip round his neck tightly, pulling back on it with savage pleasure. Scott gargled as the whip cut into his neck, clawing at the whip desperately but whatever it was made of it wasn’t cutting. He choked, gurgling, struggling to free himself, his face going red and eyes rolling as she killed him, his tongue thick in his mouth, panting and gagging for air, her mocking laughter echoing in his ears, his pack defeated about him, his life about to end...

When a jet of crystal blue energy slammed the woman in the chest, making her scream in pain as she was blown halfway up the alley, and Scott breathed desperately, trying to get air flooding back into his body.

Scott, tears in his eyes as blood rushed back into his face, looked up to see where the blast had come from and his eyes widened in surprise.

A woman was standing there, her smooth young face looking down at their attacker with an expression of determination. She was clad in a flowing green skirt and tunic which was sleeveless, with small black leather belts tied around her left arm and running up its entire length. Her opposite arm had a golden snake bracelet complete with glowing red eyes snared around the wrist, and a shining blueish pebble hung from a necklace around her neck. She had long flowing black hair, streaked with crimson, and her eyes were a bright, shining vivid green, the pupils similar to a cat’s. In her hand was a large wooden staff, with thorns and vines running up it, ending in a small, sharp blade at the top. And as the clouds shifted, the moon shone on her, and Scott’s eyes widened as he saw the outline of wings be thrown into relief by the moonlight.

The only question remained, friend or foe?

“Leave them!” she commanded and their attacker snarled in annoyance, brandishing her whip as Scott struggled back to his feet.

“Scott?” Lydia asked nervously, clearly sharing the same thoughts about this newcomer as he was.

“Stay back.” He ordered her and their attacker stood up to her full height and looked up at the other woman in challenge.

“Make me.” She goaded and with a flourish the woman rocketed into the air, twirling like a cyclone, her staff a dangerous extension of her arm as she landed effortlessly on the ground, glared at their attacker and leapt towards her, her staff going right for her head.

The woman snarled in annoyance and cracked her whip, only for the staff to come up and act as a barrier, the whip wrapping around the wooden shaft. The newcomer flurried her staff, jerking the whip from her foe’s hand and allowing it to pool onto the floor. With a slight smile, the newcomer moved to take down the woman, her staff a tapestry of movement around her, their attacker grunting and cursing as she tried to avoid the newcomer’s attack as much as possible. She flipped away as the woman tried to puncture her with her blade, and the attacker picked her whip from the ground, cracking it right for her head.

The woman gestured with her staff and a shimmering shield of white energy appeared in place, making an echoing gonging sound as the whip lanced off the shield, their attacker looking less than thrilled by this new development. She spiralled into action, deftly avoiding another glancing blow by the whip and lunged with her staff, trying to stab her opponent but the other woman screamed, forcing the newcomer to stagger back as she coped with the assault upon her ears. Sensing victory the other woman whipped at her neck, but the woman countered by firing a blast of crystal blue energy right at her, and the attacker barely raised her hand in time to send out a pulse of shining white energy that sent the blast crashing into the wall, where it created a smouldering blue fire.

The attacker hissed in fury leaping towards the wall, apparently determined to get Lydia before she retreated but the newcomer was on the case, sprinting up the alleyway, firing blasts of energy at the woman from the end of her staff. She somersaulted in front of Lydia, shoving her to the ground with a single push and brought her whip up to counter the woman’s slashing whip crack, her staff glowing with energy. The attacker screamed in fury and dropped to the ground, her whip ready and the other raised her staff, determined as the two conscious pack members watched, transfixed.

And with a final growl, the one with the staff surged forward, her staff swirling around her, countering every single crack of the whip that her foe made. The attacker was forced backwards, her whip useless at such a close range against such an opponent, beginning to pant with exhaustion as she was forced backwards, and now she was getting desperate, swinging her long nails in an attempt to stop her new attacker. The woman avoided her blow but swung her staff in an upwards arc, crashing her opponent in the chin and sending her crashing to the ground. Lunging, she stabbed down to end the fight by puncturing her foe’s neck but the other woman flipped to her feet, got off a glancing blow with her whip that made the other stagger and she turned, her grey dress flapping as she made a run for it.

The newcomer raised her staff, white energy pulsing from it and the fleeing attacker gave out a scream as white energy surged from her mouth back into the pack, and to Scott’s great surprise, she became stooped and ancient, stooped, toothless and ugly looking once again. Turning furiously, she opened her mouth but was once more silent (though what she said needed no translation), and with a great leap, she cleared the building and vanished into the night.

The woman sighed in frustration, her green eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to the defeated pack, which was now groaning and struggling to get to its feet.

“Isaac...” Scott fretted, kneeling down beside his stirring boyfriend and Isaac winced as he pulled himself up, wiping the blood away with his sleeve, trying not to whimper as the pain hit him.

“I’m fine.” He muttered weakly, Scott pressing a relieved kiss into his hair.

“I’m fine too thanks for asking.” Stiles complained waspishly, getting to his feet as if nothing had happened and after giving Scott a glare that he didn't notice, he ran to Malia’s side, lifting her up weakly as she moaned in pain, clutching her head.

“I didn't care for that.” She complained, and Stiles gently rubbed away some of the blood with his sleeve.

“Aiden, Aiden...” Ethan begged in a panicked voice, only to have his hands hit away by the exasperated older twin.

“Hey, no kissy gay stuff, I’m fine, but if you see my dignity I’d like it back.” He grumbled, a trickle of blood coming from his head, but he ignored that and began checking over his wincing twin who was panting weakly, sounding like his airway was blocked, and Aiden growled, vexed, and held his brother to him, growling as Ethan tried to protest, and chastised, Ethan bowed his head and took some of his brother’s energy.

“Danny, are you ok?” Lydia asked as she helped him to his feet, his face covered in blood from his nose.

“Ow, no.” He complained and Ethan struggled against Aiden’s hug on him, but another growl from the elder twin, who was flinching a little as he pressed his brother to his now livid chest wound, but kept going, snarling at Ethan to make sure he sucked energy from him to heal like he was meant to be doing.

“Our voices are back, is everyone ok?” Kira asked, hobbling a little as her healing abilities kicked in and tried to heal her.

“Other than getting kicked around and our dignity and in our cases masculinity being gone, yeah, we’ll live. Stiles?” Isaac asked as he watched his friend hold Malia tightly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He snapped, making Isaac flinch a little.

Scott suppressed a sigh, knowing what was bothering him but really, Isaac had been closer and Stiles had already been moving. Deciding he would fix that problem later, he missed Aiden, who had now released Ethan who was fussing over Danny, giving Stiles a very suspicious look.

Lydia then turned to look at the newcomer, who, as she didn't look like she was trying to kill them, she figured was on their side.

“Thank you, you saved our skins.” She said in relief, and the older woman focused her vivid green eyes on the young banshee.

“Indeed I did, though I shouldn’t have needed to. Tell me, do you always stand back and let others do your work for you?” she asked in a cool voice and Lydia looked at her, surprised by her rudeness.

“What, no! What am I meant to do, scream at her?” she demanded, and the woman nodded.

“Precisely. You have gifts child but you do not use them! You could have helped this pack, but you chose not to, why?” she demanded, looking supremely annoyed and the rest of the pack was looking at the exchange in interest, though admittedly Aiden looked as though he approved of her attacking Lydia.

The red head spluttered.

“Because I can’t do anything, I can’t turn my stuff on and off like they can, it doesn't give me claws or anything, what am I supposed to do?” she demanded, and the woman looked at her in shock.

“You really have no idea of what you can do, do you?” she asked, sounding slightly shocked, after all, she had known she was young and untested but she hadn't expected this.

“No, and who the hell are you to come here and lecture me?” the girl demanded, and the woman smiled.

“Quite right, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Martagh, a Scuffock, and as of now, it is my mission to train you, help you harness your abilities and become the banshee you were always meant to be.” She told her, but to her surprise, no one said anything in response to this pronouncement.

“You’re a who?” Malia asked, sounding a bit overwhelmed, and Martagh turned to face her.

“I’m a Scuffock, a guide and mentor for Celtic warriors, of which I am one myself. Young Alpha,” Martagh said, her voice having a strange sound to it that Scott couldn't quite place, and he was even more distracted when she bowed to him, “I ask your leave to train your banshee.” She said formally, and Scott, a little overwhelmed at being bowed to, shrugged his shoulders hesitantly.

“Well that’s up to Lydia isn't it?” he asked, and she straightened, giving him a look as if she thought he was trying to be funny.

“I need your permission, as her Alpha.” She said in a voice of restrained irritation, and Scott nodded, but unable to help the feeling that he was missing something.

“Sure. Um, what was that thing that wiped the floor with us?” he asked, and Martagh favoured Lydia with a cold look.

“She is your natural enemy child, as the antelope fears the lion, so to must a banshee fear one of those creatures and that one, she was incredibly powerful, which means she is very old and very dangerous. She has come for you, and you alone. If your pack hadn't intervened, she’d have killed you and been done with it.” She told her, and Lydia scowled.

“Alright, fine, but what is she, what is she called?” she demanded, after all, she was the only one in the pack who could translate Latin, and hence had the bestiary (though she did have Isaac for some able bodied picture looking at, bless him).

Martagh looked at Lydia, then shrugged feebly.

“I actually don't know, I know what it is, what it can do, but I’ve never heard it’s name. As you can imagine, her penchant for stealing voices means that she is a rather hard opponent to warn people about.” She informed them, and it was as if the entire pack seemed to sag in slight despair.

“What does it want?” Kira asked, still limping as she tested out her foot.

“The voice of a banshee. As she demonstrated, she can steal the voices of others, but in order to keep the power they afford her she must kill a banshee, if she steals a banshee’s voice, her scream, then she retains the power of that scream. It’s similar to killing an Alpha, she takes the power of the banshee. Stealing voices restores her, you see, they are born like that, stealing voices is like her food, but in order to move beyond what she is, the twisted, gnarled voiceless old woman, for that she must kill a banshee. And to add incentive to the task, killing a banshee will also restore her youth, looks and vitality. Make no mistake, the entire pack is in danger, but none more so than you young one. We must begin at once with your training, you are very far behind as it is.” Martagh informed Lydia, who predictably looked at her as if she was crazy.

“Well excuse me for being bitten and almost killed by a murderous werewolf who came back from the dead, going crazy and hearing voices, I must have missed the letter inviting me to Hogwarts. And now I’m to be trained, who does that make you, Yoda? Whatever you’re here for, forget it. I’m out of here!” she decided, and promptly turned on her heel and stomped off from the scene.

Martagh looked at the retreating banshee in incomprehension, not quite grasping what had gone wrong there. She was about to give chase, after all, the girl was badly in need of training and what was more the natural predator of the banshee was out there, this was no time for her to be on her own, but before she could do anything, Danny laid a hand on her shoulder.

“No, leave her.” He advised, and Martagh looked at him incredulously.

“She needs to be trained! And while we’re on the subject, you lot could do with some training as well.” She said sniffily, and Scott felt his heckles rise a little.

“Hey, she ambushed us alright, and she was something we haven’t seen before.” He justified, and she arced a pencilled eyebrow at him.

“And what good would that excuse have done you if she had killed you like she was about to when I arrived?” she pointed out, and Scott’s eyes flashed red a bit, but he relented.

“Look, we’ve all just had our asses kicked, and you’ve pissed off Lydia, you just told her she’s useless and her natural predator is in town to kill her. Give her some time to cool off alright? Whatever else she says, she does want to be able to control her powers, and if you can help, she’ll listen eventually.” Stiles advised, and Martagh bit her lip before nodding slowly.

“Very well, I shall heed your advice. Until later then.” She said and tapped her stick against the ground, and to their great surprise, vanished in a swirl of autumnal leaves.

“Huh, cool.” Malia said, impressed by her exit.

“Ok, I’m going to put it out there: do we trust her?” Ethan asked, his arm around Danny’s waist, and Scott narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

“That’s the question isn't it? I mean she did save us, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone has used us to get what they want, look at Gerard. But she did seem quite on the level, but there was something a little...off about the entire thing.” He said, eyes narrowed, and Isaac nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, mainly when she was talking to you. And isn't it kind of convenient? Lydia’s been struggling with her powers for ages, and now this Martagh chick suddenly shows up and offers to help her and us hone our skills? Isn't it kind of...?”

“After the horse has bolted?” Kira asked, and Isaac nodded, yeah, it did seem that way, a little late for that sort of help to be having an impact.

“And what exactly is a Scuffock?” Danny asked, and Scott turned an amused smile onto him.

“Well you’re the one who figures out everything supernatural on your own, you tell us. Right, is everyone ok?” he asked, and the entire pack nodded.

“Yeah. But aren't you meant to be some sort of super Alpha that can kill anything that comes your way?” Malia asked impatiently, and to Scott’s great irritation, Stiles looked like he thought she had a point, which only served to irritate him further.

Oh yeah, like he wanted that thing to kick the living snot out of him and everyone he cared about, if he could have stopped her he would have. The damn thing had nearly killed him and the others, and that thought was terrifying enough, they’d not long lost Allison, nearly lost Aiden and now they’re having a go at him for not being able to defeat some new creature that ambushed them?

“I was fighting her and I hurt her, but she was so strong. Excuse me if I’m not a superhero.” He snapped, trying hard not to lose his temper.

“Yeah but Scott, you are the Alpha, aren't you meant to be stronger than that, able to take more punishment?” Stiles asked, not meeting either of his best friend’s eyes because Scott was a mixture between anger and like he was about to cry and Isaac’s eyes were glowing gold and his fangs were extending, he knew they were poking the bear here, and that if Isaac lost his temper, the twins would go with him, but still, Scott’s meant to be strong, and here they all were, getting thrashed around again, and it was just one creature.

“Enough.” Isaac hissed, eyes glowing and Malia opened her mouth to say something else, so Isaac lost all form of patience and roared.

Stiles and Malia both jumped, and Malia bowed her head a little, cowed by her prime Beta and Stiles did look ashamed of himself, the entire group now quiet.

“Um, shouldn’t one of us make sure Lydia gets home safe? I don't think after the way she acted towards her we can rely on this Martagh to save her again. Aiden?” Kira asked hopefully, trying valiantly to break the awkward silence that had fallen and trying to ignore the angry glances that Isaac and Stiles were sending at each other while Scott looked away from the rest of them.

“Oh, do I have to?” he complained bitterly, after all, she had just dumped him, he didn't want to go and babysit her now, particularly if she was in a foul mood.

“Please.” Kira asked gently, and he sighed, relenting, after all, he didn't want everyone to know he and Lydia weren’t together anymore right not, though he expected Ethan already knew.

He then stalked off, his head bowed, anger coursing off him and his claws growing from his fingers. Ethan watched his brother go, his face a mask of concern, but as he did so, he put the pieces together and pieced together what had happened. Aiden’s anger, Lydia’s actions, both of them storming off...she had dumped his brother.

He was going to kill her.

“Ethan, what’s wrong?” Danny asked, squeezing his hand which he saw was now growing claws and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

“Someone beat up my boyfriend.” He said smoothly, calming down, and it was true enough, he was pissed that someone had hurt Danny, but he was just as pissed at Lydia for dumping Aiden.

Mind you, he supposed it actually meant it was over and she wasn’t just using him for sex anymore like she had been, that was something he supposed.

“Ok, why don't we all go home, we’ve had enough excitement for one night, and Danny, you should go to Melissa at the ER.” Isaac advised, but Danny shook his head.

“No, it’s fine, she just hit me in the nose. I’ll clean up and if it’s still bad tomorrow then I’ll go. Are you guys ok?” he asked, and Ethan hesitated, he never had liked the fact that Danny went along with the pack on dangerous things like this, and if he had his way...

But Scott remained stubbornly silent, and was definitely not looking anywhere near Stiles, who was looking at his shoes in shame.

“We’re just tired and trying to recover our masculinity, even Malia and I. See you all tomorrow.” Kira said softly, trying to make them all talk, but when Stiles, Malia and Scott didn't even look up, she sighed sadly, exchanged a hopeless look with Danny and slinked out of the alley.

“Come on, you can come to mine and get cleaned up before I take you home.” Ethan sighed, and led Danny out of the alley, leaving Scott, Isaac, Malia and Stiles standing there, most of them still not looking at each other.

“Um, so, see you tomorrow then.” Stiles ventured awkwardly, but Scott remained unmoved and didn't even respond, and Malia exchanged an embarrassed look with her boyfriend as they received the cold shoulder from their Alpha, who they had basically just questioned the competency of.

However, while he ignored them, Isaac certainly didn't, and show them a poisonous look as they left the alley, and once he was sure they were both (ie, Malia) out of earshot, he turned his attention to his boyfriend.

“Don’t let what they said get to you.” He whispered, leaning his chin on Scott’s shoulder and gently stroking his slightly messed up side parting.

“They’re right, I’m meant to be the Alpha and I can’t save anyone. I got Allison killed, and I couldn't do anything, it was her who figured out how to stop the Oni, I didn't stop the Nogitsune, not without you and Kira, and now some other foul thing comes along and I can’t even protect my pack. I’m pathetic.” Scott mumbled, but Isaac wasn’t going to hear any of that, and he walked in front of Scott, tilting his sad brown eyes to meet his blue ones.

“None of that, you hear me? Scott, we were ambushed. And look at the record of Alphas in this town, Derek wasn’t exactly stellar, neither was Peter. Even Ennis and the twins and Kali, look what happened to all of them! Scott we were ambushed by something we’ve never seen before, and I know Martagh had a go at us but you were right, how were we meant to see that coming? And you are not pathetic. You still lasted longer than all of us, and none of us got killed, so masculinity aside, we did pretty good considering how powerful that thing was. You’re the youngest Alpha we’ve ever come across, and unlike all the others, you aren't a natural born killer. You can’t just turn it on, you need to work on it. And considering everything you did to save his scrawny ungrateful hide, I’d have thought Stiles would have been a bit more grateful than that. It isn't your fault, and you were fighting her, and you were still protecting Lydia just by doing it. You are not pathetic, ok?” he intoned softly, stroking his cheek and Scott sniffed a little and eventually gave a weak nod.

“Thanks.” He muttered in a sort of choked voice and Isaac kissed his forehead tenderly.

“You’re welcome. Besides...you can’t be expected to save the entire pack on your own, you’re only as good as the rest of us, and she’d already smacked us around before we even got our bearings. It’s not your fault. And anyway,” he said kissing his boyfriend’s cheek, “your forte isn't destroying. It’s saving. And we’re all kind of living proof of that.” He said kindly, and counted it as a battle won when Scott smiled shyly.

“Thanks. Come on, let’s go home. Aw crap, we’ll need to go in the window, if grandma sees us coming in looking like we’ve been mugged she’ll call in every favour she was ever owed and have the entire state police on the case in minutes.” He lamented fondly, and Isaac grinned a little, savouring it.

After all, tomorrow at school after what had happened tonight was not going to be fun. And while he was mad at both Malia and Stiles, he couldn't ignore the fact that the twins had not automatically jumped to Scott’s defence either.

 

XX

 

“Leave me alone!” Lydia raged, hearing footsteps behind her, but then she heard an exasperated sigh.

“It isn't Martagh, it’s me.” Aiden replied curtly, sounding supremely annoyed that it was actually him, and she looked at him wearily.

“Aiden, I’ve just been told that the new creature in town is here specifically to kill me and that it’s because I don't have a clue that we nearly all died. Now isn't the time.” She said wearily and Aiden glowered at her.

“I’m not here for that.” He snapped back, after all, he had just had his ass kicked by some old witch with an open neck wound, all of which had happened while trying to protect the girl who had just dumped him for reasons unknown, he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with her drama.

“Then why are you here?” she asked angrily, and Aiden smirked.

“What’s the matter Lyd, not liking someone doling a little of your own medicine back at you? After all, I suppose I should have seen this coming, you’ve been avoiding me for months. Sucks to suddenly not be good enough doesn't it?” he asked waspishly, and she came to a stop in her march, looking genuinely hurt by that accusation.

“Aiden, that isn't what this is about at all!” she exclaimed, and Aiden sniffed.

“Yeah sure. I’m just not good enough for you. Never really was.” He said brusquely and Lydia opened her mouth slightly, wondering what she should say.

She knew him too well. He was angry, and had every right to be, and she knew she had been a bitch to him recently, and tonight had just been the last straw, dumping him on top of everything else. And while he did just sound angry, she knew better. He was hurt, and legitimately believed that he wasn’t good enough for her and she didn't know how she was going to sort this.

“Aiden, I swear...” she began but he just glowered at her.

“Save it. We’re over right? You don't need to explain. Let’s just get you home.” He said lifelessly, and she totally loathed herself as she fell into step behind him.

“Aiden...” she tried, needing to try and fix this somehow, not that she had any idea how.

“Just answer one thing: did I ever mean anything to you at all?” Aiden asked, determinedly not looking at her as they walked along the quiet and deserted street, silence surrounding them.

Lydia came to a stop, hurt that he could even ask that. But, well, could she really blame him? After all, she hadn't visited him in hospital, hadn't even sent a card, had been avoiding him after he got out and only really spending time with him to have sex, and after that she had upped and left without so much as a thank you usually. She looked at him as he walked a few steps ahead before realising that she wasn’t following and came to a stop, looking impatient.

“Come on I don't have all night.” He ordered and she shot him a filthy look.

“Well excuse me if I don't think the world revolves around you.” She snapped back, irritated by his tone, especially on top of what had happened with Martagh.

“No, of course, you’re the centre of the universe aren't you?” Aiden asked with a cold smile and she saw in that moment that this was not going to be nearly as pleasant as Scott and Allison ending things.

Yeah this wasn’t going to be pretty at all.

She was about to snap back when she heard a whooshing sound behind her, and she turned in time to see a pair of glowing amber eyes coming right for her. She screamed, throwing herself to the ground and out of the way and caught a brief glimpse of black feathers and talons before she heard Aiden roar in pain, clawing in the air at their attacker.

There was a loud screeching as Aiden roared, trying to swipe at the thing that was attacking him, malevolent amber eyes hanging above him as vicious claws ripped into his shoulder, the attacker flapping massive black feathered wings as he did it. Desperate, Aiden jumped up and crashed his teeth around a thick, scaly foot.

The birdman gave a shriek of pain and a lethal beak went right for Aiden’s eyes, forcing him to raise his hand to protect himself. The birdman screeched once more, talons ripping into his shoulder before it flew off into the darkness, leaving a bleeding and shaking Aiden behind as he looked at the point where the evil creature had disappeared.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded weakly, his shoulder throbbing with pain and he could feel warm sticky blood gushing down his side as Lydia ran over to him, looking panicked.

“My god, are you ok? What was that thing?” she asked, shoving him to the closest streetlamp, both of them hissing through their teeth as they saw the damage that had been done.

Two deep bloody gouges were now in his shoulder, and there were several smaller scratches on his face and hands, along with one large puncture wound from the thing’s beak in the middle of his hand, and to her great surprise, Lydia saw that Aiden was shaking, not from some reaction, but out of fear.

Whatever that thing was, it had been silent and could very well have been deadly.

“I’ll be fine.” He said, quivering a little as he looked around nervously, fearful of another attempt.

“Have you really got a death wish?” she whispered, forgetting about werewolf hearing and he glared at her viciously.

“Oh yeah, because it’s my fault there’s some other foul creature in town wanting us all dead! I didn't ask to be attacked, and both times I’ve been attacked tonight have been related to you! Why’s that I wonder?” he challenged, and she glowered at him, livid.

“Hey, I’m not blaming you, but why didn't you just, I don't know, do something else?” she demanded, and he scowled.

“Like what? Let it kill me, carry me off, eat me?” he snarled back and the two of them stood there, in the middle of a dark street, glowering at each other.

This wasn’t the time for them to be close together, not after she had just dumped him with so much as an explanation. Add that to the fact that they had now been attacked twice in the same night, by two different creatures, their tempers were rather high and both were getting increasingly angry, frustrated and hurt.

“That’s not what I meant. Come on, the least I can do is help clean you up.” She said, and despite his anger at her, she was sure there was a little flicker of hope in his eyes as she said it, which she decided to ignore and started making their silent way to her house.

Two new creatures, because she was pretty sure that hadn't been what had attacked her. There were two creatures in Beacon Hills, one of them gunning for her and the other gunning for goodness knows what.

“We need to call Scott.” Aiden said, and she nodded.

“I know, he needs to know there’s something else in town, maybe one of the weird smells Malia picks up. What do you think it was?” she asked softly, eager to keep even this little bit of conversation going.

Aiden frowned, wondering the exact same thing himself. It had been like a bird, a sort of birdman, but he had never encountered anything like it before. A birdman that swooped down silently, he hadn't even heard the damn thing until Lydia had, what sort of creature could sneak up on a werewolf?

“It was like a bird of some sort, with talons, a beak, wings...I’ve never heard of anything like it before.” He admitted, and she relaxed a little as she saw the house.

“We’ll figure it out. Hey you don't think it’s Martagh do you?” she asked hopefully, the thought of the pack getting rid of her was a rather pleasant one right now.

“Nah, she has wings but they looked different, besides I think they only come out in moonlight. What’s that on the porch?” he asked, stopping as he looked at her house, and she looked at the porch to see a massive wooden crate sitting outside the front door.

“Oh seriously mom? We’re going bankrupt as dad’s stopped paying child support and you’re still ordering off of QVC! What has she bought now?” she asked herself, heading towards the crate, which was about six foot long.

“Lydia...” Aiden said hesitantly, it couldn't be, he had to be hearing things.

She walked up to the crate, frowning. There was no address on it, no reason to explain why it was here so late at night, no note from a helpful neighbour who had taken it in, it was just a large massive crate, sitting outside her house with no explanation in sight.

Still figuring it was her mother’s doing, she was about to try and peer inside when Aiden took her hand, pulling her away, an odd expression on his face.

“What?” Lydia asked, surprised and he sent her an odd look.

“I hear something coming from inside it.” He told her, and he was now sure, bizarre though it seemed.

“Hear what?” she asked curiously, and he gave her a significant look.

“A heartbeat.” He replied and she looked at him as if he were crazy.

“What, seriously?” she asked, and he nodded grimly.

“Yeah, there’s a heartbeat in there, a very slow one, but is there.” He told her, his voice odd.

Lydia looked at him in shock, someone was inside the crate, but who, why, and why were they delivered to her, who had delivered them to her?

“A human heart?” she asked weakly, and he nodded, his nose wrinkled, there was an odd scent that he couldn't place there was something else to the box that was messing up his sense of smell.

“Yep. Want me to open it?” he asked, and she nodded as he extended his claws.

And so, as if it was every day one found a crate on the front porch with a beating heart inside it, the two of them gave each other a last look before Aiden ripped the top off the box, and Lydia screamed in alarm, while Aiden screwed up his nose in disgust as the full smell hit him.

It was long and deep, lined with straw and a few blankets for warmth. An awful smell of an unwashed body hit them both, making them both take a step back to try and cope with it, as various other unpleasant smells assaulted their noses, but determined they pushed through the smell to behold what the crate contained.

Other than the blankets and straw, there was a bag of fluid that was attached to a drip, though the bag was almost empty. There was also a sort of small hookah pipe, which Aiden snarled at furiously, as half hearted little black puffs of smoke emitted from it.

“That thing, it’s pumping out wolfsbane.” He growled, feeling weak just getting a smell of it and Lydia quickly reached in, pulled it out and threw it into the bushes as she and Aiden beheld the body inside the crate.

The drip was attached to his right arm, and there was a sort of breath mask which had been attached to the hookah pipe which had been pulled off when Lydia had thrown it away. He was unconscious, with tight manacles having dug bloody scars into his ankles and his left wrist, the blood crusted over. His entire body looked malnourished and scrawny, and was dirty, unwashed, covered in bits of straw, dirt, and powdered wolfsbane. All he was wearing were black boxers, frayed and faded that were a little loose around his reduced waist. He was lying ramrod straight, his nipples erect as he laid there in the bottom of the crate. His face was also more gaunt, his mouth was slightly open, his tongue thick in his mouth from dehydration, and his hair was longer than usual, lank, unkempt and greasy from the lack of its usually exceptional care. His eyes were slightly open, revealing a little sliver of white. And around his neck was a large metal dog collar as if he were someone’s idea of a pet.

But most disturbing of all was his right arm, which was inexplicably black, with the veins bulging through it a bright, poisonous green. His arm looked dead, the black colour, as in necrosis black, spreading up to his elbow, the poisoned veins shining through and as they looked at his upper arm, which still remained the normal tone it should be, it was like it was glowing with acrid yellow light from within, and already little black spots of necrosis were appearing on his upper arm.

“Bloody hell, what happened to him?” Aiden demanded, looking at the person in the box and then watched in transfixed horror as Lydia reached in and swept the guy’s lifeless fringe from his grimy face.

“We need to call Scott. Right now.” She said, and something clicked in his brain as he heard her voice shaking with silent emotion.

“Do you know this guy?” he demanded, looking at the poor wasted creature in the crate beside them, and she nodded calmly, as if she regularly found people in such a state at her front door.

“I should think so, I dated him for two years.” She said matter of factly, and Aiden’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, are you telling me that’s?” he demanded, unable to believe it, and she nodded.

“Yes. That’s Jackson.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well who saw Jackson coming back in a box? Poor bugger, he hasnt had a good time the last three months, and just what is going on with his arm? 
> 
> So, the owlman and this new creature are in town, as is Martagh but is she friend or foe?
> 
> This is the start of episode 2, so, roll intro credits please, and until next time, kudos and most especially comments are very welcome!


	8. Episode 2: Silence Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny reminisces, Jackson causes problems, and Chris gets a new mission

Two-Pack II

 

“Are you kidding me?” Scott demanded as Lydia filled him in.

He and Isaac had just been about to head into the house when they had received the frantic phone call from Lydia, begging them to come right to her house, and despite themselves, they had both come, arriving at the same time as a frantic Danny and a confused Ethan. Lydia had quickly ushered them in and had just stood and pointed soundlessly at the sofa, and as one all four boys jaws had dropped, their noses screwing up at the same time.

“Is that really Jackson? He looks, well, like crap.” Isaac summed up, looking worriedly at the unconscious wolf, who was now being tended to by a frantic looking Danny.

“It’s him alright. Scott they delivered him in a bloody box, look at the state of him! He’s so thin, so weak, so dirty...so smelly.” She mumbled ruefully, and Scott could only agree, he knew it wasn’t his fault but boy did Jackson stink.

“How long has he been like this, do we know?” Ethan asked as Aiden joined them, chased away by Danny who was now looking at his best friend with an expression that mingled relief with fear and sadness. At least he was alive even if he was far from his normal state.

“This was in the crate with him, we think it’s what was keeping him alive, you reckon your mom could figure anything out from it?” Aiden asked, passing Scott the drip bag that had been supporting Jackson and Scott took it, frowning.

“Yeah, maybe I suppose, I’ll give it to her, see if she can at least figure anything out of it, like what was in it. Did you find the wolfsbane pump?” he asked Lydia, and she nodded, her face clouded.

“Yeah I sealed it in another QVC box my mom had lying around, I figured you would want to use it for something or other, maybe see why he’s so weak. He’s half starved, he stinks, he’s very weak and he was shipped here in a box, huh, it might be kinder to take him to the hospital, that way they can deal with the inevitable temper tantrum when he wakes up.” Lydia quipped darkly, and Ethan glowered at her venomously, but Scott couldn't see any reason he would be annoyed at her for that, truth be told, he agreed with her, the twins had never even met Jackson before now they didn't know him like they did.

“The guy’s been sealed in a crate for god knows how long, I think he’s earned the right to be a little pissed.” He countered, and Isaac and Aiden nodded, conceding the point, anyone would be slightly miffed after being treated in the same manner.

Isaac entered the room, giving Jackson’s thin, unconscious and weak form the once over, his brow furrowed as he did it. Scott watched him with interest, his eyes hardening as he took in the chains around his ankles and wrists and the large metal collar around his neck. His eyes travelled to the dirt covering him, the scars on his back that had previously gone unnoticed that had scabbed over due to the wolfsbane rather than healing like they ought to. Danny looked at him, his eyes sad and worried, as if asking permission to try and fix him, but Isaac was still searching Jackson’s body.

“Um, is he checking him out?” Aiden whispered to Scott, whose temper flared slightly at the very thought of that.

“No, of course not. He’s giving him the once over. Well honey?” Scott asked, his voice slightly defensive even though he knew Isaac would never go near Jackson in that regard.

Danny suppressed a small smirk because both he and Isaac clearly picked up on the defensiveness in Scott’s voice but said nothing.

“I think he’s alright, but maybe we should ask your mom to come and have a look at him, just in case before we figure out what our next move is?” he asked, but Scott shook his head, his eyes downcast.

“She can’t afford to take any more time off at the hospital, and so far grandma doesn't know anything about all this crap and I want it to stay that way.” He said, and Aiden looked at him, puzzled.

“Wait, we just found someone who’s missing half a world away, and we’re keeping it quiet because?” he asked, surely his parents should be told at least.

“Because we don't know who sent him here or how he got into this mess, which means alerting his parents right away might put them in danger. Aiden, someone did a serious number on him, look at him! He’s starved half to death, covered in scratches, he isn't healing, he stinks, he’s covered in months worth of crap, and to top it all off, there’s his arm, how do we explain his arm to anyone?” Scott asked, and Aiden sighed, figuring the Alpha was right.

“Yeah but your mom, or even Deaton...” he suggested, growling out the second name, but Ethan shook his head.

“No bro, he’s right. It sucks yeah but until we know more we need to keep quiet. Speaking of his arm, what is that?” he asked, sickened by the sight of the blackened limb, and Aiden looked at it warily.

“I don't know, but it smells, and differently than he does. It smells like, worse than death.” He complained, looking queasy at the very mention of it, and Isaac nodded.

“Yeah, he’s right. I mean, the rest of him is pretty ripe, and trust me Danny even your Armani isn't enough to cover that smell, but that smells even worse, it’s like his arm is actually dying but I don't see how. And Aiden is right, he is part of an active case, and we do need to tell the sheriff that we have him but I reckon Scott’s right it should wait until we know more.” He reasoned, standing beside Scott as he returned to the others, breathing in Scott’s scent to try and get the smell of Jackson out of his nose.

Danny looked sadly at Jackson as the others debated behind him. To see Jackson in person after all this time, after worrying about him for months, it was such a relief, even with the state he was in. But, he couldn't help but feel slightly nauseous as he looked at what had happened to him. Jackson had always been one of the ones in the best states on the team, if not in the school, and when you compared it to all the other hotties just in the team (Ethan, Aiden, Scott, Isaac, Stiles, Garrett) that really was saying something. To see him now, virtually wasted away, so weak and looking so hurt and vulnerable, it was an awful sight to behold. His black forearm looked ghastly, the lurid green pulsing veins inside them making him feel like boking, there was just something seriously not right about it, and the black spots appearing up his arms, combined with poisonous yellow veins gave the impression that Jackson was actually diseased. And then his thin, bony body, covered in muck and grime, his lank, unkempt hair, his smell, the blood encrusted around his ankles and wrists, the scars on his back...

Getting up, unnoticed by the others, he went through to the kitchen and started pouring some water into the basin, making sure it wasn’t too hot. He leaned against the counter, shaking a little, the thoughts of whatever had done this to Jackson filling his head, making him want to rage, storm and kill at whoever had done this to him.

But that would come later.

The others, they would all be concerned with the hows, the whys, the whos. He wasn’t. All he wanted to make sure of was that Jackson was alright. He got what the others were talking about, and understood it, but that didn't mean that because they couldn't do anything about the situation until they knew more, they couldn't do anything at all for Jackson.

He was his best friend. He wasn’t going to let him wake up in that state if he could avoid it.

And besides, admittedly, unless Jackson’s experience had granted him a personality transplant, it would be better for them all if he woke up in a better state than he was now, otherwise sharing a room with him would be very unpleasant. Smirking at that thought, he headed through to the living room looking worriedly at Jackson’s weak form, the basin of water in tow.

“Alright, so, someone kidnapped Jackson, made him into this state, and eventually decided to send him to us. Am I the only one wondering why someone would go to so much trouble? I mean what’s the point? The wolfsbane, the drip...they wanted him to reach here, which makes me wonder why, because from the state of him, it clearly isn't because they’re nice guys.” Scott pointed out, to which the others had to agree.

“Maybe it’s his charming personality.” Isaac commented, sending a slightly distasteful look at Jackson.

Scott looked at him, frowning a little. He knew he and Jackson were never going to be very good friends, that much was a given. The kanima business aside, and Jackson’s personality hardly going to win him any awards, the fact that they had been neighbours for years did little to improve Jackson’s standing in Isaac’s eyes. Jackson’s entire family had all heard Isaac’s screaming, knew full well what his father had done to him and had done nothing. The fact that Jackson was an arrogant, spoilt little rich boy and Isaac was being terrorised daily by his bastard father had only served to further Isaac’s resentment of the other wolf. Then of course there was the fact that it was Jackson who had incriminated Isaac and had gotten him blamed for his father’s murder in the process hadn't done anything to improve that relationship, and the not so insignificant fact that Jackson had actually been the one to murder his father, well, if Jackson was sticking around, he would need to consider reassigning Aiden from being his bodyguard and making him Jackson’s, in the hope that that way between the twins they could make sure neither of them drew blood.

Danny frowned a little as he heard what Isaac said, using his cloth to wipe some of the blood off of his wrists, doing so gently so as not to wake him. He knew that while some of his dislike of Jackson was irrational, he was more justified than others in the other reasons he disliked him. And just because he was his best friend didn't mean that Danny didn't know he had faults. But there were two of them in the room right now who knew that while he could be a douche to most people, he could also be kind too.

_Jackson watched as Lydia and her friend Sylvie left, smiling lustfully as he watched Lydia retreating from where they were sitting outside of the school. He cast a cursory eye over Sylvie before turning his irritated gaze onto Danny, who was sitting opposite him, staring into his lunchbox._

_“Alright, what was that about? Sylvie was clearly into you, and you just sat there, flirt a little!” he scolded, but to his surprise Danny shook his head._

_“I can’t.” He said quietly, not meeting Jackson’s eyes and Jackson rolled his eyes in irritation._

_“Yes you can, it’s easy, besides, I even taught you how. I keep setting you up with girls, and you just keep knocking them away!” he complained, and Danny glowered at him but beneath his annoyance, to Jackson’s slight surprise, he looked really kind of sad._

_“Why does it bother you so much?” he demanded angrily, slamming the lid onto his lunchbox and cramming it in his bag, and Jackson sighed, as if he were explaining basic arithmetic to a highly overemotional toddler._

_“We’ve been through this buddy, girls travel in twos. Lydia, who I really like, is never anywhere without Sylvie. So, for me to get what I want with Lydia, I need Sylvie out of the way. That’s why I need you, you’re my wingman, you take the slightly less attractive friend.” He explained and Danny scowled at him, his eyes burning with rage._

_“Oh, so that’s what I’m good for, taking the leftovers you don't want?” he asked bitterly, and Jackson shook his head, no, he hadn't meant it like that._

_“No, it’s just...look dude, everyone else has at least got someone. Even that moron Stillinski has that weirdo Erica girl pining over him. But you’ve never so much as been on a date, you’ve never even gotten close, and well, people are starting to talk, the same way they talk about McCall and Stillinski.”_

_Danny hesitated, and he suddenly looked like a deer in headlights, but then looked at Jackson furiously._

_“Wait a minute, is that what you’re worried about, people wondering if we’re going out?” he demanded and Jackson shrugged._

_“I’m not worried about it, it’s just...I don't know! I’m frustrated ok? I keep trying to set you up on dates most guys would give their left foot to go on a date with, and you always reject them! It’s not just Sylvie, who really does like you by the way, it’s every girl, what on earth does it take to please you? Tell me what girl you want and I swear I will get her for you, hell, is it Lydia? You want Lydia? If it’s her you want, I’ll let you have her, just, I don't know, flirt a little with one of them, ask one of them out, do something! You’re a nightmare to please!” he half shouted, but then to his great surprise, Danny looked up at him, glaring at him through tear filled eyes, and something moved inside Jackson’s chest and he suddenly felt really horrible, but what had he done wrong, he hadn't done anything that wrong had he?_

_“Well did it occur to you I don't want a girl? No it didn't! I don't like girls, that’s what’s wrong with me! That’s why I reject them, why I don't flirt with girls, because I don't like them, I don't like girls!”Danny stormed at him, suddenly furious, tears filling in his eyes, and Jackson looked at him in shock._

_But then, the anger passed, and Danny seemed to realise what he had just admitted and before Jackson could say anything at all, Danny turned and practically fled from him._

_Danny had hidden in the music room, and he just sat on his usual chair, staring at the ground. He had just came out, he had just told Jackson, the biggest jock in the year, that he was gay. He had just told his best friend that he was gay, blurted it out, and now Jackson new. He shuddered, and wondered if it was worth trying to get away with skiving the rest of the day, but that wouldn’t help, he’d have to move school altogether and even then..._

_Danny shook in panic, he’d told Jackson he was gay, he was going to hate him, he was going to make everyone else hate him, they would hurt him for being different, for being gay, for not being normal and liking girls, his parents would find out, everyone would..._

_Danny pulled at his slightly spiky hair, moaning and suppressing the urge to cry more. He’d been stupid, letting Jackson get him into such a state but the constant implications that there was something wrong with him, they were driving him crazy, he couldn't bear it anymore and he’d cracked and he’d done what he had never thought he would do, he had told Jackson his biggest secret..._

_He’d told his best friend, the best friend he’d ever had, that he was gay and because of that Jackson would never even talk to him again, he would make his life hell, what on earth was he going to do?_

_The door opened and Danny suppressed the urge to flee. There was only one person who it could be, and Danny flinched, waiting for the blow to come, but to his surprise, Jackson just sat down beside him and faced the same wall Danny was looking at._

_“So...you’re gay huh?” he asked calmly, and Danny, still shaking, nodded._

_“Yeah. I’m sorry I-” Danny spluttered, but then he felt Jackson nudge him with his shoulder gently and despite himself, Danny turned to look at his former best friend._

_And to his great surprise, he didn't see anger, revulsion or anything like that on Jackson’s face, all he saw was a small smile._

_“Sorry for what? For being gay? Why would I care about that?” he asked simply, and Danny looked at him as if he had sprouted another head._

_“Wait, you, you don't care?” he managed weakly, and Jackson allowed himself a small smile and shook his head._

_“No you idiot. Why do you think I came here huh? You’re my best friend, and out of everywhere in the school where you would hide, I knew you would come here. I came straight here, because I knew this was where you would be. Danny...you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. That isn't going to change just because you like guys instead of girls. And while we’re on it, there’s nothing wrong with you either. You’re just, well, you. So, please stop crying ok? Girls crying, can see a way to make that work out better for me, you crying, it just makes me feel lousy.” He admitted ruefully and Danny smiled, sniffing and wiping his eyes._

_“Ok. So, you really?”_

_“Not one little bit. And, if anyone gives you any grief about being gay, tell me and I’ll sort them out for you.” He growled, and Danny felt a well of happiness flare up inside him._

_Jackson didn't care. His best friend didn't care that he was gay, he didn't hate him, it was just like it always was, only now Danny wouldn’t have to hide it when he was checking out other boys before practice (McCall really looked kind of adorable)_

_“Thanks Jackson.” Danny whispered, relieved and Jackson smiled and nudged him playfully._

_“Idiot, thinking I’d care. You’re my best friend dumbass. And besides let’s face it, most people only talk to me because they talk to you. Kind of need to keep you on side.” He said with a small smile and Danny laughed a little._

_“True, you are kind of a dick.” He teased and Jackson sniggered._

_“Well, you would know.” He said cockily and the two of them laughed._

_The two of them sat together in silence for a little bit, and then Danny looked at Jackson hopefully, a smirk on his face._

_“So, does that mean you wont try and set me up with girls anymore?” he asked hopefully and Jackson sighed, looking put upon._

_“Well I suppose so, seems kind of pointless, I’ll just need to try and score alone. Least I won’t feel obligated to look for a pretty date for you anymore.” He said brightly and Danny sniggered._

_“Yeah, that does sound good.” He admitted, and Jackson smiled._

_“Thought it might. But, well, you are still my best friend, and I feel bad if I pull and you don't, so, what sort of guys am I shopping for?” he asked curiously, and Danny looked at him in amused disbelief._

_“Wait, you’d really go scouting for guys for me?” he asked, yeah Jackson said he was fine with it and he believed him but this was, well, it was just really...well._

_Jackson nodded._

_“Well yeah, I mean I do feel bad when I pull and you don't so if I know what sort of guy I’m looking for, well, I can do stuff with it.” He said, and Danny smiled, looking at Jackson, genuinely touched._

_“Thank you.” He whispered softly, and Jackson shrugged, though failed to stop looking pleased with himself._

_“You’re welcome. So?” he asked hopefully, and Danny smiled nervously._

_“Well, wouldn’t say no to Taylor Lautner, explaining why I subjected you to watching Eclipse and Abduction.” He told him and Jackson’s eyes widened in surprise._

_“Oh, well, least there was a decent reason for doing that to me. Suppose I made you watch Transformers for Megan Fox so it’s only fair. Ok, I know what to look for now.” He said, and they lapsed back into silence and it was a few more minutes before Danny broke it again._

_“Thanks for being so cool with this.” He said softly, turning to face Jackson fully, and Jackson shrugged._

_“No big deal, my lips are sealed until you tell me otherwise. Oh alright,” he said, realising why Danny was looking at him like that, “just this once but don't you dare tell anyone.” He warned darkly._

_And the two boys hugged, Jackson holding Danny to him firmly and Danny feeling a lot better about things than he had in a while, and reluctantly, he let Jackson pull away, he may not fancy him but it didn't mean he didn't like hugging him._

_Jackson looked at him curiously, mischief smouldering in his eyes._

_“Um, hey, since you’re that way inclined, did you ever, you know, fancy me?” he asked, a sly cocky grin on his face and Danny sniggered and shook his head, he really was the biggest egotist going._

_“Actually no. You’re hot sure, but you are_ so _not my type.” He said with a laugh, and Jackson smiled and shrugged, before shooting him a dirty look._

_“Hey, for the record, I’m everybody’s type. So really, nothing at all?” he asked hopefully, and Danny smiled and shook his head._

_“Nope, you’re not my type, sorry dude. But, well, you were in a dream once.” He admitted and Jackson smirked, god he would be hell to live with now._

_“Really?” he asked excitedly, and Danny smiled evilly before he made the kill._

_“Yeah but not alone. You were with McCall making me happy.” He gloated and Jackson scoffed, and he started hitting Danny on the arm._

_“McCall, seriously? Come on!” he complained as Danny shook with mirth._

Danny mopped some of the grime off of his friend’s dirty forehead, Jackson already starting to look better than he already had when he noticed the others had stopped talking, and Scott bent down surveying him worriedly.

“Do you reckon he’s, well not alright, but you know, alright?” he asked Danny hopefully, and Danny looked at Jackson, considering his answer.

“Hard to say, we cant tell anything until he wakes up, but by the looks of him, once his abilities kick in and he gets some food down him then yeah, he’ll probably be fine. Well, we won’t because we’re going to have to put up with him in a very bad mood.” He said with a slight grin, and Lydia smiled as she crouched down beside Danny, looking at Jackson fondly.

“Oh yes he’ll be a delight. And no clothes, no nothing, that’s all he has...yeah maybe it’s best if we don't let him wake up.” She mused, and Isaac looked at her curiously.

“Havent you got any of his stuff lying around, don't girls do that?” he asked, legitimately innocent and Ethan and Aiden exchanged looks as she went a bit red.

“Well yes, but only from one night stands...and long term boyfriends. But no, he took all his stuff when he moved to London.” She said, her voice slightly sad, and just that little inflection in her voice made Ethan look worriedly at his brother, who was now looking at her with a calculating expression on his face.

“Wait a minute...did you know he was coming back?” he demanded, his posture tense, and Scott, Danny and Isaac looked at him in confusion.

To her credit, so too did Lydia.

“Aiden, what?” she asked, perplexed, and Aiden glared at her as if she was being slow on purpose.

“I’m asking did you know, did you have some sort of banshee feeling that he was coming back? Is that why you broke up with me, because your ex was coming back?” Aiden asked, and Scott turned to Lydia, a little growl running in his throat, his eyes dancing furiously.

“You broke up with him?” he demanded, and Lydia looked to the heavens as though praying for patience.

“Yes I did. And Aiden, how on earth could I know he was coming back, I wouldn’t do that!” she insisted but Aiden looked at her suspiciously.

Isaac and Danny exchanged a silent look, while Scott glared at Lydia. To be fair to Aiden, who was clearly hurt that she had dumped him, which to Isaac implied she hadn't even given him a reason (and he knew what that was like), he supposed he did have a reason for suspecting that she had known that Jackson would reappear, after all, no one knew how her powers really worked so it could stand to reason that she had known.

“I swear I didn't know what was going to happen, I had no idea, Aiden you have to believe me!” she cried and Scott wondered just how messy this breakup was going to be when Jackson suddenly stirred, clearly disturbed by all the noise going on in the room, and with one little noise, the fighting stopped and they all looked at Jackson intently, Danny wincing, knowing that whatever was about to occur wasn’t going to be pretty.

Jackson groaned, waking slowly as he rubbed his face, wincing a little as he did so with his damaged arm, and he opened his eyes groggily.

“Ugh, what the hell?” he asked weakly, and Danny skelped Scott’s hand, making Scott give him a rueful look as he had only wanted to help, and Danny leaned forward and helped a weak and shaking Jackson to sit up.

“Hey, you with us?” Danny asked, everyone else silent as they looked at Jackson’s weak form, and Scott suddenly appreciated how bad he looked, he looked incredibly thin sitting up like that, the smell wasn’t getting any better, but at least he wasn’t quite as grimy as he had been before Danny had cleaned him up a little.

“Danny? What are you doing here?” he asked in confusion, the room very bright around him, there was an awful smell as well, and he felt weak, sick, his arm felt like it was burning, and he could smell different smells around him but couldn't think what the hell they meant.

“I could ask you the same question. You’re in Beacon Hills, we’re in Lydia’s house.” He explained, his voice filled with suppressed emotion as he beheld his weak and confused friend.

“Danny? It’s you?” Jackson said, his voice quivering, he felt nauseous and Lydia, scenting danger, grabbed the bucket just in case and put it beside him, and Danny tried to suppress the tears of relief he felt forming in his eyes.

His best friend was here, he was back, he was safe, he was alive, and right now, he would count that as a win.

“Yeah buddy it’s me, we’re in Lydia’s.” He said, and Jackson, his massive pupils shrinking and starting to get used to the light after having been trapped in a box, looked around, and to their surprise looked down.

“Lydia’s...yeah, we had sex on this couch.” He recounted and Lydia went scarlet as Aiden shot her an annoyed look.

“Oh so that’s why you would never let me have sex with you on the couch because you’d already done it with him!” he cried, pointing at Jackson indignantly and Lydia shook her head wearily, then looked up at Aiden, slightly exasperated and slightly amused.

“Yes, that’s why, but we had sex on the recliner in the spare room, I never let him do that.” She told him which for some reason seemed to mollify him.

Scott rolled his eyes, Jackson had just been delivered to them in a bloody box and this two had broken up and were now having all sorts of silly arguments, but he would deal with them later, this was not what you needed after being ambushed by some unknown creature who kicks your ass, have your best friend basically tell you you were a useless Alpha and discover Jackson had returned to them.

Danny shot a dirty look at both Lydia and Aiden as Jackson shook his head, still looking pale as he tried to get everything back to working order, his eyes finally adjusting to the light.

“Ok, take it easy. We’re at Lydia’s. What do you remember?” Danny asked softly as Jackson winced in pain, then it seemed as if his brain finally kicked into high gear and started to catch him up on everything that had happened, and he started struggling, his heart rate spiking dramatically as he remembered everything that had happened.

“No, where are they, are they here? What am I doing here, I was in London, they had me, their eyes...” Jackson said, panicking, and Scott pulled Danny back as Jackson was getting himself into a state and as a result, claws were starting to grow.

“Jackson, Jackson! Calm down ok, you’re safe now, you’re home.” He told him, holding Jackson’s face in one hand and as Jackson’s glowing blue eyes focused on Scott’s warm brown ones, despite himself he did start to calm down.

“McCall?” he asked hesitantly, and Scott could bet he knew what was going on inside his head.

During their fight while he was the kanima, unlike everyone else, Scott had been the only one to insist that they not kill him whereas everyone else had wanted him dead. Scott had been the only one who believed that Jackson didn't deserve to die, and something had changed between them. After they had saved him and he had turned into a wolf, Jackson and he had parted on fairly good terms considering it was the two of them, ending with Jackson thanking Scott for fighting so hard not to kill him. He had then apologised to Scott for everything he had ever put him through before vanishing from town.

“Yeah, it’s me Jackson. You’re home. What do you remember?” he asked softly, making Jackson focus on his eyes and Jackson looked as though he was about to answer when he looked up at Scott, his face frantic.

“Nothing. I don't remember anything, I remember...I remember it being dark, those, those horrible yellow eyes,” he recounted, his voice shaking in fear, “and, and something across the sun, but nothing else.” He told him and Danny glowered at Scott, shoving him out the way.

“Ok buddy, you need to calm down. Ok, deep breath, just like I made you do every time you had a hissy fit because Scott got made co-captain.” He reminded him, while Scott shot them both a perturbed look, and Jackson nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to get his anxiety back under control.

“What happened? And what the hell is wrong with my arm?” Jackson demanded, finally seeing the black arm and he once again lost control, panicking, and Isaac rolled his eyes, seized both a yelping Danny and Scott by the ears, lifted them to their feet and shoved them out of the way as Jackson totally lost control.

“Jackson, calm down. Listen to me ok, you’re panicking, it’s like I do when I’m trapped in an enclosed space. What was your anchor?” he asked softly, looking intently at Jackson, his eyes glowing gold, and it seemed that with the extra bit of wolf authority, he could break through the panicked daze that Jackson was in.

“Wanting to be better, stronger.” He panted, and Isaac nodded, though he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, trust the kid who had everything to want more.

“Alright, focus on that. Otherwise, you’ll be just as much as a basketcase as I am, and I don't think you want that.” He said with a small smile and Jackson began to take deep breaths, getting his breathing back under control.

“I feel like I’m stuck, that I can’t get out.” He explained, and Isaac nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I know how you feel, and after what you’ve just been through, I sympathise. You came here in a box, Lydia just found you on her porch tonight, but it looks, and smells, like you’ve been in there a while. But you’re out now, ok? You’re safe, you’re not trapped anymore. We got you out.” Isaac intoned, and to the other’s surprise, it worked, Jackson was calming down, his eyes were still frantic, and he was still looking anxiously around the room but he was starting to calm down.

“I can still feel it.” Jackson said, looking at his arm and suppressing the urge to vomit.

“I know you can. I get that too. But what you do is, I usually focus on something, an object, or a person’s voice or just a person that wasn’t in there with you, that’s what I do.” He said, the soft affection in his voice leaving the others in no uncertain terms as to who he thought about when he was trying to calm himself down, and Jackson nodded, and Isaac smiled smugly as he heard Jackson’s heart rate going back down.

“He’ll be hell to live with now.” Scott complained and Danny grinned a little as the two sat down beside him, facing Jackson while an anxious Lydia and the curious twins hung in the background.

“Ok, what the hell is going on? And what the hell is that smell? And...where are my clothes?” Jackson demanded angrily, suddenly registering that he was only clad in boxers and looking less than pleased about it.

“Alright, don't freak out ok? Just keep calm. We just found you, you’ve been missing for the last three months. Your parents have been going nuts, no one’s seen you, no one knew what had happened to you, you just vanished. And tonight, Lydia came home and found you outside on her porch. You were, trapped in a crate, hooked up to a drip and poisoned by wolfsbane. And...well I don't know where your clothes are but, well as that smell is you. We don't know how long you’ve been in there but, it’s been a while.” Danny said, figuring it was best if all this news came from him and Jackson snarled angrily, but kept control of himself, though his eyes glowed blue.

“Wait, whoever kidnapped me, whoever has those freaky eyes, trapped me in a crate and shipped me back here?” he demanded, snarling a little, but Scott ploughed in.

“These eyes, what are they?” he asked curiously, and Jackson actually shuddered.

“They’re creepy, they’re these shining sickly looking evil yellow eyes, they’re about all I can remember.” He said, and Lydia sank down beside him, wrinkling her nose in disgust as he pulled at his slightly overlong hair with an expression of disgust.

“You can’t remember anything else?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“Nothing.” He retorted, squirming uncomfortably, god that smell was awful, it was him, when was the last time he had washed? He hated this, and...he was starving, as his stomach illustrated.

“So, we have no idea what happened to you, how you were locked in the crate and how you got here. Yeah seems about right for Beacon Hills.” Isaac sighed, and Jackson looked at them all, finally taking in the twins.

“Who are you two?” he asked suspiciously, and Scott smiled slightly, yeah this part would be fun.

“This is Aiden and Ethan, they’re part of the pack.” He explained, and Jackson glowered at Ethan first to their surprise.

“You’re the one Danny’s dating?” he asked, and Ethan, surprised, nodded, and Danny smiled.

“Hey, you did pay attention!” he exclaimed happily but Jackson ignored him, glaring at Ethan suspiciously, before he turned his attention to Aiden, who he gave the once over and a slight nod to which Aiden returned, and Isaac smirked at Scott, yeah, Danny had clearly told him that Aiden and Lydia were dating too but after the customary sizing up of each other, Jackson turned back to Danny.

“So, I’ve been missing for three months, trapped in a bloody crate, no one knows where I am, and I can’t even remember what’s happened to me?” he demanded furiously and Danny nodded.

“Pretty much. Look Jackson, I know it’s a lot to take in, but you need to calm down.” He begged and Jackson snarled at him, making Danny flinch and Ethan growl threateningly, his eyes glowing blue.

Jackson turned to face him, his eyes widening in surprise as Ethan snarled at him, and Scott suddenly got a feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

Jackson gave Ethan a threatening growl and Ethan responded in kind, making Danny look at them in confusion.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, and Isaac was shaking his head desperately, but trying to get Jackson’s attention when he was glowering at Ethan, and now Aiden was growling at him too, seeing that his brother felt threatened.

“Danny...” Jackson said worriedly, and Danny looked between them in confusion, wanting to know what was going on, his face confused.

“Jackson.” Scott warned, but Jackson wasn’t listening he was too busy looking at the twins glowing blue eyes.

“Jackson, what is it?” Danny asked, but suddenly Ethan’s head seemed to kick into high gear, realising what Jackson’s problem was and his eyes flashed back to normal, before giving a frightened look at Danny, who was getting fed up of not being answered and stood in front of Jackson, placing his hand on his still grimy bare chest, looking annoyed.

“What?” he demanded and Jackson calmed down, seeming to accept that the twins weren’t much of a threat.

“It’s nothing, they just threw me off because they had blue eyes like me, I was worried. But I suppose they can be trusted.” He said lightly, but Danny looked between them in confusion, not grasping why Jackson had been so agitated.

“What’s that matter?” he asked, and Scott wanted to intervene, to shut them up but he could tell that Danny wasn’t going to go quiet until he had a proper answer.

“Don’t, don't you know what makes our eyes different?” Jackson asked, suddenly looking very worried, and Danny shrugged.

“I just assumed it was for the different ranks, red for Alpha, blue for Beta.” He said, and Scott prayed that would be the end of it.

“Um, no, it doesn't matter. Forget about it.” Jackson said hastily, but it was too late now the cat was already out of the bag.

“What?” Danny demanded insistently, and Jackson sighed.

“You’re right, red does mean an Alpha, but...well blue doesn't mean Beta. It means they’ve killed people, it’s why my eyes are blue as well.” Jackson said, and Scott, who obviously hadn't seen much of Jackson since he had left, heard the regret in his voice as he told his best friend that.

“Wait a minute, blue means they’ve killed people?” Danny asked, his voice constricted by something, looking at the twins with an unfathomable expression on his face.

The twins looked at each other desperately. While all the others had know about their pasts, because of Ethan’s relationship with Danny, they had tried to keep the less than savoury aspects of their past from him so he wouldn’t think any less of Ethan and wouldn’t be freaked out by what they had used to do for Deucalion. And the plan had worked so far, with Danny believing they were simply the ones who helped hold down Deucalion’s enemies while the others dealt with them.

“Danny, you have to understand...” Ethan pleaded but Danny had turned away from a mortified looking Jackson and was now facing his boyfriend, a disbelieving expression on his face.

“Have you killed people?” Danny asked weakly, and Ethan and Aiden exchanged helpless glances before Ethan, looking upset, turned back to face Danny.

“Yes.” Ethan whimpered weakly, and Danny took a frightened step back, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Wait, you actually have killed people?” Danny demanded, but Jackson laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Danny, I’ve killed people too, look how many I killed!” he protested, clearly realising he had caused problems for them all but Danny wasn’t listening.

“You actually did kill people didn't you? You told me it was all Kali and Ennis, not you two, you told me you were just his thugs.” He said, his voice rising as he came to this realisation.

“Danny you have to understand...” Ethan began, and Danny glowered at him.

“What that you didn't want me to know because you knew I wouldn’t like it?” he demanded, and Ethan shook his head desperately.

“No, it wasn’t that at all! Danny please, let me explain, yeah, we’ve killed people, but Deucalion made us do it! We didn't have a choice!” he insisted, but it was then that Danny looked at him suspiciously, his brain clearly working over time.

“Erica and Boyd...you killed them didn't you? You pair are the reason they’re dead.” He gasped weakly, but Isaac got to his feet, coming between Danny and the twins, Ethan looking like he was on the verge of tears.

“Danny, look...maybe they should have told you the truth but they were trying to protect you. They just didn't want you knowing, they didn't want to put you in this position,” he said, glaring at a sheepish Jackson as he said it, “but they weren’t the ones who killed Erica and Boyd, that was all on Kali, not them. Trust me, they’ve changed. Their eyes might be blue but they aren't killers anymore.” Isaac insisted, but Danny shook his head, glaring at Isaac.

“You all knew and none of you told me, what did you think I just shouldn’t find out?” he demanded, but Ethan crossed to him, trying to take his hand but Danny pulled it away, looking at Ethan angrily.

“I should have told you, ok, I admit it! I just didn't want you to...to hate me because of what I am.” He whimpered but Danny shook his head, looking at Ethan, something significant having changed between them.

“So you kept it quiet that I was dating a murderer. Don't you think I ought to have known that?” Danny demanded and Ethan looked desperately at Danny, tears in his eyes.

“I-I just, I didn't want you to think that I’m a monster.” He whispered sadly, and Danny looked conflicted for a moment, everyone else in the room watching with bated breath.

“You killed people Ethan, and...and you weren’t even controlled. But worst of all, you kept it from me. I...I just found out my boyfriend is a murderer, and that they’re somehow tied to the deaths of people I know...wait, that’s why Isaac thrashed you when we went to cross country, you nearly killed Scott too didn't you?” Danny demanded, and Ethan nodded, looking scared.

“Yes that was us but Danny you have to understand we didn't have a choice! Deucalion, all of it, you need to understand...” Ethan begged, but Danny shook his head.

“That you lied to me, that you’re a killer, and that you thought you would get away with keeping it from me! Ethan, can’t you see why this is bothering me? I’ve been dating a murderer all this time, and you didn't even think I needed to know!” Danny stormed at him, and Ethan looked at him desperately.

“Danny, I would never ever hurt you, you know that! I would never hurt you. Is that what you’re afraid of? I would never hurt you, even before even if Deucalion had ordered it, I would never have hurt you I love you.” Ethan insisted, but Danny shook his head, his eyes narrowed.

“Ethan you don't get it. I’ve been dating a killer, one who didn't even think I needed to know that, who thought I shouldn’t know what you are, and I find out that you tried to kill people I care about, you did kill people I knew! How am I supposed to deal with that?” he asked weakly, and the entire room went silent as they knew what was coming, and Ethan was actively crying now.

“Danny, please, I’m sorry, that’s not who I am, not who we are anymore! We’re not killers anymore. I’m sorry, I know I should have told you everything but I was afraid that...this would happen.” Ethan sobbed softly, and Danny closed his eyes, unwilling to look at him right now.

“I think you should go. Just...give me time ok?” he asked quietly, and Ethan looked at Danny in shock, his lip trembling.

“Wait, are you breaking up with me?” he asked softly, and Aiden closed his eyes in dismay behind his brother.

“Just...give me a while. Please?” Danny asked, still not looking at Ethan, and Aiden looked frantically at Scott, who simply gave him a sad look, feeling helpless.

He did get it, he really did. Danny was shaken, he had spent so long thinking that Ethan and Aiden had, while being violent and working for Deucalion, had never actually murdered anyone. Unlike Jackson, who had had no control over the murders he had committed as he had been controlled by Matt and then by Gerard, the twins, while they were in thrall to Deucalion, had had some degree of free will. And he discovered that Ethan had never told him that he had committed murders, had been involved in the deaths of Erica and Boyd and the near deaths of both him and Isaac, and worse that he had kept all of it from him in the first place, while praying Danny would never find out. Perhaps Danny was being a bit naive, but he could at least understand why he was so shaken to find out the person he loved so much was actually a reformed murderer.

“Ok. I-I’m sorry.” Ethan whispered and turned and practically fled from the house, Aiden lingering only long enough to give Scott a hopeless look, and Lydia a filthy one before he too fled the scene, both twins in high dudgeon.

“Danny, I...I’m sorry. I thought you knew, I was just trying to, well.” Jackson began but petered out, but to his surprise it was Scott who fixed him with a look as Danny was staring at the wall, lost in thought.

“We get it. For once, you weren’t being a dick.” He said kindly, and Isaac looked sadly at Danny, wondering just where he and Ethan would go from there.

They couldn't actually break up could they? The two of them were so good for each other, but this, well this was something none of them had wanted to foresee. They had all known that eventually the truth would come out and Danny would learn just how involved in the Alpha pack the twins were, and just how loyal they had been to Deucalion until Danny and Lydia had tamed them, but, well, maybe they had all been naive in believing that Danny would just accept their past as the rest of the pack had. Admittedly though the rest of the pack had known from the start what the twins had done, that was one part that they had kept quiet from Danny. He might have learned about werewolves and all by himself, but if he hadn't figured everything out about the twins then they weren’t going to enlighten him. But now, well, maybe in hindsight they should have told him.

“Hey Danny, if you didn't know what our eye colours really meant, why did you think I had gold?” he asked curiously and Danny sniffed before turning back to face him, shrugging slightly.

“I figured they were gold because you were the prime beta.” He said sadly, and Isaac sighed, well, he supposed that at least made sense.

Lydia glared at Scott, basically telling him to get a shift on, which he scowled in response to but did move.

“Jackson, I know you’re not going to want to hear this, but we need to keep this quiet for now.” He told him and Jackson turned to look at him furiously.

“What? I’ve been missing for three months and now you’re telling me I still have to stay officially missing? My parents probably think I’m dead!” he yelled, but Danny shook his head.

“No they don't, they still think you’re alive. It’s just the police who think you’re dead.” He assured him, but Jackson simply gave him a dirty look before turning back to Scott.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t pick up the phone and call them right now?” he demanded, and Lydia scowled at him.

“Because genius, you just got sent here, freight class, in a box after being missing for three months, Now, that doesn't cry, good guy to me somehow. Whoever sent you here meant to do you harm, they might have sent you back here sure, but they’re not friends. And as you were living in London when you vanished, there’s a good chance whoever did this to you is still there and is waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack your parents. If you call them you could be putting them in danger. So, Scott’s right,” she said, giving Scott a look of approval that made him perk up a little, “until we know more, you need to keep quiet. It’s for everyone’s own good, at least until we find out who sent you here, why and more importantly, what the hell is going on with your arm.” She reasoned, and he opened his mouth to argue but then deflated, but he looked at her desperately.

“Well what the hell am I supposed to do? My arm is doing who knows what, I stink, I have no clothes, I’m starving, I’ve not had a shower in about three months, I have no idea how I got here and even if I stay here, what am I supposed to do? No clothes, no home, no money, no car, no nothing, what am I supposed to do?” he demanded, and Danny’s eyes flicked towards him.

“You can stay with me for the time being, my mom will keep quiet, and she knows you’re one guy that I would never sleep with, especially at the moment.” He said with a slight grin, but Jackson only shot him a raging look in turn.

“But what do we do about telling the sheriff? We need to tell him, and besides, it can shove it to your dad’s competency proceeding too if the sheriff shuts a case that started in London.” Isaac said cheerfully, and Scott grinned a little, pondering.

“We tell him in the morning, but we ask him to keep it quiet until we figure out what’s going on. He knows about this stuff, he’ll be fine. I hope.” He added lamely, and Isaac bit his lip, if anyone, ie, Scott’s dad, got wind that he was keeping stuff from an ongoing investigation there would be hell to pay.

“But my parents, look, I need to call them!” Jackson insisted, and Scott rolled his eyes.

“And you can! Just not yet. Let us talk to the sheriff first ok? Give us twenty four, no forty eight hours, then regardless you can call them ok? Please?” he wheedled, and Jackson scowled at him but relented, nodding.

“We’re trying to protect them. Trust us. After all, Scott’s the only sap who fought to save your life, so trust him a little bit more would you?” Danny asked, and Jackson nodded begrudgingly.

“We can make do until then. I’ll go and look for something for you to wear.” Lydia said as Jackson silently steamed at his situation.

“Do we need to tell Derek I’m back?” Jackson asked in an annoyed voice, and Isaac quirked an eyebrow.

“Why would we do that?” he asked in confusion, and Jackson turned and looked at him as if he was stupid.

“Um, I don't know, maybe because he’s the Alpha and might have a better idea of what to do than McCall here.” He said, and Scott rolled his eyes as a smile of extreme delight had just appeared on Isaac’s face, and he looked to Danny excitedly.

“He doesn't know does he?” he asked, and Danny shook his head.

“No, I thought it was best to wait to tell him kind of in person.” He replied lamely, and Jackson folded his arms across his bony chest, glowering.

“What don't I know?”

“Derek isn't the Alpha anymore.” Danny replied, making Isaac pout a little, but the look of sheer confusion on Jackson’s face softened the blow.

“What? Since when?” he demanded, and Danny shrugged.

“A few months back.” He admitted lamely, and Jackson looked at him furiously.

“Alright so who is the Alpha?” he shot at him, and Scott cleared his throat, and as Jackson turned to look at him, he allowed his eyes to flash red, and was rewarded with a look of the utmost outrage appearing on his face.

“You have _GOT_ to be kidding me!” Jackson stormed, and Isaac smiled smugly.

“Nope. And do you want to know the best part? He’s not only the Alpha, he’s your Alpha!” he gloated, and Jackson let out a vicious snarl.

“No way. If you think I’m going to report to him, you’re even dumber than you look Lahey. I am not going to have McCall as my Alpha!” he vowed, and Isaac smirked.

“Um, yeah you are. See, when you rejected Derek’s bite, it made me the prime beta, so, when I defected to Scott, I kind of dragged you down with me, which means you’re as much his beta as I am. Sucks to be you huh?” he goaded and Jackson snarled, claws growing and Isaac got to his feet, meeting Jackson’s glowering face and extending his own claws.

“I did not just travel for three months in a crate to be told I need to report to that idiot.” Jackson insisted, and Isaac shook his head.

“Well, sucks to be you, because he is your Alpha so you’ll just need to deal with it.” He told him, and Jackson scoffed.

“No way, never in a million years, and I’m not reporting to you either.” He insisted, raising his claws and growling in challenge, making Isaac’s eyes flash gold as he growled back, claws ready.

“Really? You think you can take me right now? After three months in a crate? And even then, something makes me think that without the scales and the tail and the paralytic claws I’d be able to take you.” Isaac snarled, and Jackson snarled before Scott stepped between them, barking at both of them

At the merest sound of Scott snarling, Isaac backed off, returning to normal, looking slightly upset, and Jackson was sure he heard a little whine as he backed off. He began to laugh but at that, Scott turned his attention to him and roared, and Jackson sunk to his knees, shivering in the face of the Alpha’s fury, and he stayed looking at the floor, cursing himself, Scott and Isaac as he shivered.

“Enough. Jackson, deal with it. Now, just give us two days ok? Then we can figure out where we’re going to go from there. Ok? Trust me. Please?” Scott asked softly, and Jackson raised his eyes up to Scott and nodded.

“Sure, ok.” He whispered and Scott nodded, smiling a little.

“Good. I know this stinks, but just bear with us ok, give us some time. And...odd though it sounds, it is kind of good to have you back.” He told him before he beckoned to Isaac, who gave Jackson a last nasty look before following Scott from the house.

“You just make friends wherever you go don't you?” Lydia asked in patient amusement as she returned with some clothes, and Jackson glared at her as he got back to his feet.

“McCall the Alpha, and Isaac looking like he wants to fuck him, it’s pathetic.” He grumbled maliciously, but Danny shook his head.

“Isaac rarely fucks Scott, it’s usually the other way around.” He said, and Jackson looked at him in shock.

“Wait, what?” he demanded, and Lydia gave him an odd look.

“You do know Scott and Isaac are dating right?” she asked, and he spluttered in disbelief.

“No! When did this happen, what else have I missed?” he demanded indignantly, and Danny shrugged.

“You only cared about Lydia and me so that’s all I told you, and then you vanished. And so on top of being Scott’s prime beta, he’s also his boyfriend, so word to the wise: do not piss off Isaac, because that means you piss off Scott and he’s very protective of him.” He advised as Jackson sank into the chair, weak with shock.

“What the hell?” he asked weakly.

“And on top of that, Scott is the only one who fought to save you. You owe him, so don't go out your way to give him trouble.” Lydia admonished, and Jackson started to protest but, well she was right, Scott had fought to save him when everyone else wanted him dead. He remembered what Scott had said when he and his cronies had trapped him in the armoured car, Allison and Stiles had been all for killing him, but Scott had insisted they had to save him, and that he wasn’t as bad as he seemed.

So, he did owe him, not that he’d admit it.

But then a thought occurred to him, and he looked up at Lydia curiously.

“Wait, Scott’s gay? And he’s dating Isaac? Where’s Allison?” he asked, and as Lydia and Danny exchanged loaded glances, Jackson suddenly got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and instantly decided that he didn't want to know.

“It...it happened just after you vanished. Allison’s, Allison’s dead.” Danny admitted quietly and Jackson looked at his best friend in disbelief.

It couldn't be, no, not after everything, out of all of them, he ought to be the one who was dead, not Allison, she was a hunter, she was strong, tough...

“She was killed by the Oni, demons. Three months ago.” Lydia mumbled and Jackson felt as if the ground had just shifted beneath him as it occurred to him just what he had missed in his absence from Beacon Hills.

Allison was gone. A friend, someone maybe more than a friend who he had been starting to care about, and she was gone...and he hadn't even been able to, well been unable to do anything about it whatsoever.

“Allison...” he muttered softly as Danny sank into the chair beside him as the full weight of what he had missed hit him.

 

XX

 

A shot rang out and the charging creature gave a surprised whimper before it slid to a final stop, the three hunters emerging from their vantage points as they beheld the dead creature.

It had been an arassas, a reptilian creature with the dexterity and skills of a cat, and had been picking off travellers through the Alps for months now. The three of them had been tracking it the last two weeks, and now, it was finally dealt with.

“Well, you may not be quite as active anymore, but at least you can still shoot.” A man with shoulder length black hair and a beard said happily, wrapped in a heavy winter jacket with an orange hat that made him stick out like a sore thumb.

“Yeah, but not as good as me. Mind you, few are.” The woman with them said, dressed in heeled boots, leather pants, a dark brown see through top with a suede jacket about her, her brown hair curled into ringlets about her face.

“You keep telling yourself that Natasha.” Chris told her with a smile, stroking his beard as they considered the creature as snow fell about them.

“She will.” Gareth, the other man, said with a smile as he checked there was nothing else nearby.

“Why shouldn’t I tell myself the truth?” Natasha challenged with a superior smile, holstering her guns.

“One of these days something will get you, and that’ll teach you.” Chris warned though there was no heat to it.

After leaving Beacon Hills, he had travelled to France, deciding there were plenty of things he could be doing there. After a few necessary investigations that had yielded little, and figuring Isaac would blossom more if left to his own devices rather than his constant oversight, he had fallen in with Gareth, the two of them joining forces to deal with various creatures that were plaguing the country (Gareth said he was on holiday, which to him meant killing creatures that weren’t native to Britain), and when it had come to the arassas, they had encountered Natasha, who had been begrudgingly accepting of their help as she admitted she’d had severe trouble tracking it.

And now the creature was dead, people were safe, and it was time to put this case to bed.

“Since you both gatecrashed my hunt, why don't you two dig the grave for it?” Natasha asked as the snow seemed to get a little fiercer around them as Chris checked his messages.

“Just because you’re a lady doesn't mean you get to boss us around you know.” Gareth grumbled resentfully, pulling his hat tighter about his ears as Chris listened to the messages Isaac had left for him.

The natural enemy of a banshee, the arrival of a Scuffock in town, Jackson being delivered in a box, and a request that he go to London and tell Jackson’s parents that their son was actually alive, were all the messages that played out on his phone, though admittedly Isaac did sound resentful on the last message.

“Problem?” Natasha asked, and Chris frowned.

“It looks like Beacon Hills is back in business. A Scuffock has shown up in town.” He informed them, and Natasha’s eyes narrowed.

“A Scuffock? Strange that she would show up there when it’s a wolf domain. Is this to do with your pet pack?” she challenged, and Chris shot her an annoyed look but nodded.

While he had told both of them the tale of what had brought him here, and hence about the pack, Natasha was much less willing to accept the fact that there was an entire pack in Beacon Hills living there without Chris making their life a misery. Simply put, she couldn't understand why a hunter just wouldn’t put them down, memory of his dead daughter or not.

“Apparently, she’s there to train Lydia, you know, the banshee. Just in time too, she’s being hunted by something with no neck, which is apparently the natural enemy of a banshee.” Chris explained, and Gareth looked up from his hole digging.

“Their natural predator? That would be a Pombero. Nasty bitches, not the sort you want to deal with alone, and if she kills a banshee, well, she gets even nastier.” He informed him, and Chris frowned.

So, a Scuffock and a Pombero had both shown up in town recently, and both of them seemed to be gunning for the pack, a thought which gave Chris pause. Should he head back? He had vowed on his daughter’s memory to protect the pack as much as he could, after all, they had lost enough, and it’s what Allison would have wanted him to do. With the Pombero in town, Lydia, who was Allison’s best friend, was at the very least in grave danger.

But then there was the other message, about Jackson turning up and asking him to go to London and inform the boy’s parents that he was actually alive.

He needed information, and first he needed it from Isaac. He needed to know all about what had happened with Jackson, and then he could make his decision. But if he was indeed bound for London, well, there were sources he could call on there, who would be able to help with information about the Scuffock and the Pombero.

He smiled grimly.

Time for a road trip.

“Who fancies a trip to London?” he asked, earning him two surprised looks as the snow swirled around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all im sorry for how long this took to get up, i was entertaining half the week and it delayed me a lot
> 
> And I also apologise since not a lot happens in this chapter, Jackson took a lot longer than I thought he would but well have more events next time
> 
> And of course, will Danny and Ethan sort things out?
> 
> I know this chapter isnt that exciting but it was necessary, and i hope you enjoyed Danny coming out to Jackson, kudos and comments are much appreciated!


	9. Episode 2: Silence Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allegra lends a hand, Liam's story is revealed, Melissa is blackmailed and Scott struggles to control himself

Two-Pack II

 

“Two victims, early to mid twenties, both showing signs of laceration and scratches. Sorry to say sheriff but it looks like an animal attack to me.” Haigh informed the sheriff the next morning, the sun barely even up yet and all of their breath floating in front of them in the cold morning air.

Stillinski frowned at the two young bodies, and looked across at Deputy Charles Elba, an old mentor of his, who he had asked out of retirement to help make up the shortfall caused by the Oni attack, which he was relieved to say he had been willing to help with. Elba shook his head once, and John had to agree with him, yeah, this was no animal attack. But while Elba was going to be looking for a human culprit, he wasn’t quite so sanguine.

This had supernatural written all over it.

His other young deputy, younger even than Parrish, Deputy Sandy Sands (he weekly made death threats against his mother for his name, which he could sympathise with at the very least) came over, looking grim, with two wallets bagged.

“Two victims, one Eric Mason, age twenty two and the other one Karl Temple, twenty three. And...their dog.” The young man said, looking queasy, and John looked over to the mauled corpse of the unfortunate animal.

“Poor bloody thing, what sort of sicko kills the dog as well? Alright gentlemen, we have everything we need here, you know the drill. Ah there you are Parrish.” He said in relief as his second in command came out of the squad car, looking worried about something.

“Sorry sheriff, I was checking something else out.” He said significantly, and giving a nod to Elba, who nodded and took over operations, he moved over to the side with the younger man.

“What did you find out?” he asked, and Parrish bit his lip nervously.

“Well, ever since I was brought onto the chessboard so to speak, I’ve been keeping an eye on the nemeton. And when I went there this morning, just before I got the call about this, I noticed it had changed. There’s sort of dark vines, thorns growing around it. But, it’s the wood, it’s going black.” He told him, and the sheriff looked at him sharply.

“Black? What do you mean?” he asked, and Parrish looked worriedly about.

“I think it looks poisoned.” He told him, and the sheriff considered this.

If the damn tree was poisoned, did that mean it was dying? If it was dying, it would hopefully stop all the crap that went along with it being recharged in the first place, but after all, this was Beacon Hills and just because the tree looked poisoned didn't necessarily mean that that was a good thing. After all, there was a good chance that if the tree was poisoned that it would only cause problems for everyone else.

“Hmm, alright. I’ll have a word with the kids, see if they know what’s up with it.” He said grimly, and Parrish looked at where the coroner was putting the bodies into the van, and no one seemed to quite know what to do with the poor dog.

“What did I miss? And sorry.” Parrish said sheepishly, but the sheriff waved him off.

“Double murder, and Haigh naively thinks it’s just an animal attack. Oh for it to be an animal attack.” The sheriff said wistfully as Parrish smiled grimly.

“So what, you reckon it’s some new supernatural joy?” he asked and the sheriff gave him a grim smile.

“And you don't? Sad isn't it, that’s become the go to for everything bad around here.” He complained, and Parrish was about to respond when Sands called over to them.

“Chief, there’s a lady here to see you.” He called worriedly, and as the sheriff headed over, Parrish scowled.

Don't get him wrong, Sands was nice enough, but he was a bootlicking little git. Some people had a puppy like eagerness to help and it was quite endearing, Scott for example, he was cute and so unassuming that was sweet when he did it. Others, like Sands, were so eager to please and butter up those further up the food chain that they just earned the ire of everyone else because they were basically crawling and seeking approval and wanting to further their own ends. In fact, the fact that Sands was a bootlicker who was just crawling and wanting to make himself look better was the only thing that he and Haigh agreed upon.

“A lady?” John asked as he approached the young blond deputy, who pointed towards her before he made his way out of Parrish’s way. Chuckling (he knew that was Sands not such a bootlicker Parrish would probably get on very well with him) he headed over to the police banner that marked the crime scene, his face breaking into a genuine smile as he saw the older lady on the other side of the tape.

“Flattery will get you everywhere sheriff, at least you and your shiny new recruit there knows how to treat a lady.” Allegra said smiling in pleasure as he approached, and he ducked under the tape and wrapped the older woman in a hug.

“Captain Delgado, it’s great to see you. You look amazing.” He said as she hugged him back fondly.

“You’re looking rather handsomely rugged yourself John. How have you been?” she asked, her well trained eyes scanning over the crime scene, rolling her eyes as Haigh seemed to be trying to block her view.

John considered his answer. When he had first started out as a rookie cop, Allegra had been the local captain, in charge of several districts all reporting to her, and had taken a shine to him at the time. In fact she had even tried to set him up a few times with her daughter, who he had later discovered was Melissa, in an attempt to dissuade her from the man she had been dating at the time. However, by that time John had met and had fallen in love with Claudia, and Melissa had regretfully fallen for Rafe. Despite that, he had remained friends with her and had of course become friends with Melissa up until Allegra had retired a year or so before Scott was born. He had always thought well of her, and respected her and looked up to her. He had always felt at ease with her as well, which was why he was considering telling her all that was on his mind, but no, he was a professional, and besides, he didn't know how much she knew.

And besides, he was rather enjoying sneaking around with Melissa and he felt vaguely certain that telling her mother about them might let the cat out of the bag.

“Alright I suppose. Same old.” He sighed wearily, and Allegra looked over at the crime scene.

“That’s one thing I don't miss, early morning murder calls. Why is that deputy trying to block my view?” she asked in annoyance and he chuckled as Parrish joined them.

“In his defence, he doesn't know you used to run the entire county, and technically you aren't meant to see crime scenes anymore. Allegra Delgado, this is Deputy Kyle Parrish, my second in command.” He said and she gave him a smile and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you. We’re going to finish up and get everything back to the station. I wondered if you wanted to talk to Deaton since animal seems to be the flavour of the month.” He asked with a half smile, and John suppressed a small surge of anger, the good vet still hadn't earned his forgiveness for not helping Stiles when he needed it.

“I’ll give you that single pleasure. Take the poor dog too, poor beast.” He advised, and he nodded and gave Allegra a friendly smile before disappearing.

“Oh my...if I were a decade younger, or even just had him in a bar one night...” she mused and John shot her a scandalised look.

“Allegra!”

“Can you blame me, look at him! Anyway that’s not why I’m here, though if he became why I was here I could be persuaded to leave...anyway, I’m here to offer my help!” she said brightly, and he shot her a bemused look.

“Allegra, you are retired, you know full well that means you can’t be actively involved in any active cases anymore. So whatever you want, the answer is no.” He said, slightly regretful, after all, there weren’t that many deputies and now there were these murders which meant the other cases would probably need to go on hold. And, this was Beacon Hills so if this was the attack of a creature like he suspected, there would probably be more coming his way on top of everything else.

Allegra sighed and looked edgily around before nodding.

“Oh come on, I only have an interest in one case.” She told him patiently, and he arced an eyebrow at her, having a rough estimate as to what case she was interested in.

“Let me guess, Derek Hale?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Yes John. You know as well as I do that something is majorly off with all of it, and that’s just from what Melissa told me. Come on John, I can help.” She insisted.

“Do you think he’s innocent?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Scott does. That’s good enough for me.” She assured him, and he allowed himself a small laugh.

She was a stubborn one, just like her daughter. And her grandson for that matter.

“What do you need?” he asked, not believing he was even considering this.

“From what I’ve heard, there are some gaping holes in the entire thing. I just need a look, perhaps a chat with this Derek. Oddly, while Melissa believes he’s innocent, she’s not entirely sold on saving him.” She said in confusion and John suppressed a smile, figuring Allegra wouldn’t be quite so gung ho about lending a hand to Derek if she knew he was the reason Isaac had moved into Scott’s house.

“You really think that you can help?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“Just from what I’ve heard, this all seems too neat in some places. In others it seems far too messy. The entire case sounds off, and besides, this Derek is important to Scott. I want to help, and besides, you’re about to have your hands full with everything else around here,” she said, nodding at the departing coroner van, “let me help. And besides...with Melissa working and the boys at school all day, I need a project to keep me occupied. Come on, John this suits everyone, what harm can an extra pair of eyes do? Even if I can’t see very well because I left my glasses in the house.” She admitted lamely and he chuckled.

“Alright. But,” he warned, pointing his finger at her, “we set ground rules. The last thing I need is your son in law coming back and sticking me in another competency proceeding because I let you in one an active case.”

Allegra gave him a cold smile, her eyes flashing at the mention of Rafe McCall.

“My dear John, he wouldn’t dare.” She assured him silkily and while it wasn’t directed at him, he still felt the ice beneath her comment and decided he would not want to be Rafe the next time he encountered his mother in law.

“Come on then, let’s get you to the station and get you started.” He told her, and smiling happily, she followed the sheriff back to his car, determined to do some good while she was staying here.

 

XX

 

The corridors were bustling as everyone traipsed into the school, but Isaac was ignoring them. He was focused solely on Scott, who was supremely annoyed and seemed to be taking it out on his locker, which he had to admit, was putting up a good fight. When Scott seemed to be struggling to get into his locker, Isaac reached out and took his hand, stopping him just before he pummelled the door in frustration.

“Shh.” He whispered into Scott’s ear, using his thumb to rub little circles onto Scott’s hand, and Scott sighed wearily.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m being a nightmare.” He grumbled and Isaac smiled at him sadly.

“Hey, even true Alphas are allowed off days.” He told him and Scott looked at him miserably.

“Yeah but I had an off day and as Stiles so kindly helped point out, it nearly got all of us killed. “ he complained and Isaac sighed, fixing Scott with a stony look.

“Honey, we both know what’s really bothering you.” He said calmly, and Scott shot him an annoyed glare.

“Oh the fact that I almost got my entire pack killed, that the twins got dumped, that Jackson showed up out of nowhere and that there’s some new creature in town that wants to kill us all is in town isn't enough?” he asked waspishly, and Isaac shook his head.

“No, because what’s really bothering you is what Stiles said, and you and I both know it.” He told him matter-of-factly, just as the despondent looking twins appeared, both of them seeming to droop. While they looked the same as normal, there was something about the way they were carrying themselves that just seemed to cry out that they felt miserable. Even Aiden’s spiky hair seemed to have a sort of depressed droop to it.

Scott decided to ignore what his boyfriend had said, mostly because he was right on the money, and looked to the twins.

“Hey, I’m sorry we didn't stand up for you last night but after Danny...” he began, but Ethan shook his head, cutting off his apology.

“It doesn't matter, we know why you did it. Have-have you guys seen Danny?” Ethan asked hopefully, but Scott fixed him with an apologetic look.

“Sorry buddy, we haven’t. But considering he’s now Jackson’s chief babysitter, I reckon he’s probably taking today off anyway, at least until we can figure out what we’re doing about him. Lydia probably will too, see if she can find anything out about how Jackson wound up here.” He told Aiden, and both twins seemed to sag even more.

“I should have told him, we all should have told him then this...”

“Hey, it was an accident waiting to happen. Even if you had told him about it, I don't reckon he’d have reacted much differently.” Isaac assured Ethan, patting his shoulder, but that failed to cheer the twin up.

“It’s not fair! Jackson killed people and he still likes him! I mean, what’s the difference? Or did he and Jackson ever, you know?” Ethan asked worriedly, and Scott shook his head, and despite his distress he found Scott’s reassurance rather comforting.

“No, Danny at least has some taste. As far as we know he’s never done anything more sexual than a hug with him. That’s not what this is about buddy. All of a sudden he found out that someone he loves had a whole other side. Believe me, I’ve been there, on both ends, and it kind of sucks from both ends too. He’s just a little freaked out, and when you think about it, can you blame him? Put yourself in the shoes of a normal person, which, pack stuff aside and all too clever he might be, is basically what he is. To someone who’s never been caught up in the supernatural like we have, finding out your boyfriend is knee deep in dead bodies has to be a shock.” Scott said kindly, and while Ethan did still look miserable, he did seem to accept this argument, however begrudgingly.

“I suppose.” He mumbled, and Scott wrapped him in a one armed hug, squeezing Ethan a little to try and cheer him up.

“Hey, trust me. We’ve known Danny longer than you have. And you make him a million times happier than he ever was with the last guy he dated, the one who broke his heart last time. Just give him some space, it’ll be fine.” He assured him, and Ethan could feel the power of his Alpha’s belief in both him and Danny washing over him, making him stronger, and he certainly picked up a little.

“Thanks Scott.” He muttered while Aiden continued to scowl, though he did look relieved that Ethan had perked up a little.

“And at least we know Danny won’t run back to his ex, unlike Lydia will.” He complained, and Isaac bit his lip thoughtfully.

“I don't think she will, I think after everything that happened between them when he was the kanima, they’re kind of well and truly over. I’m not saying there’s nothing there because there obviously is, but I don't think either of them want to get back together.” He theorised, and Aiden glowered at the world in general.

“So it really is coincidence she dumps me the same night her ex shows up on her doorstep?” he asked bitterly, and Scott sighed.

“Aiden...look I know it stinks. I’ve been there.”

“Um, so has Isaac, thanks to you.” Ethan reminded Scott helpfully, grinning a little, and Aiden grinned a little as he saw the look of annoyance spasm across Scott’s face, but he ignored his twin while Isaac tried to disguise his snigger as a cough.

“What I mean is, it doesn't always make sense. When Allison first dumped me I had just saved her life.” He told him, and Aiden looked at him in disbelief.

“Seriously? There’s gratitude for you.” He commented, which Scott decided to pass over.

“Look...sometimes it just doesn't make sense. And for what it’s worth, I reckon it’s more to do with her than anything you did wrong.” He said kindly, patting Aiden’s arm, and Aiden smiled a little, yeah it was petty, but blaming Lydia did make it seem a hell of a lot better.

“Hey, we’re sorry for last night, we should have spoken up.” Ethan said sheepishly as Aiden basked in the glow of his Alpha’s affection.

“It doesn't matter.” Scott said, looking away from them, and Isaac looked at him sadly.

“Scotty, don't let what Stiles said get to you.” He wheedled, and Aiden nodded.

“Yeah, ignore him. He probably didn't mean it, we were all kind of pissed last night after getting our asses handed to us by the scary old Jedi lady.” He said, his eyes misting over and Ethan poked him in annoyance.

“Hey, mind off the comics!” he insisted, but Isaac smirked.

“He’s not thinking of a comic, but that’s not the point. Aiden’s right,” he said, nuzzling Scott with his nose a little, “Stiles didn't mean it. And even if he did, well that’s what they’re for, they’ll kick the crap out of him for you!” he said brightly, and Aiden nodded.

“Yeah, well, I will, might not go over too well with Danny if Ethan kicks the snot out of Stiles. But you want him roughed up, I’ll do it!” he offered happily and despite himself, Scott laughed.

“No. I know he was scared, we all were. So don't punch him. Even though he does kind of deserve it.” Scott ordered and Isaac smiled, that was the Scott who believed the best in everyone, the one he fell in love with.

But, regardless, he did need to talk to Stiles, without Scott, maybe take the twins with him too. After all, you don't nearly make Scott cry and get away footloose and fancy free. He could use the twins to help put the fear of god into him. And if they didn't work, well, he was the prime beta, and he reckoned without the Nogitsune inside him, he could kick the scrawny runt’s ass if that’s what the situation called for.

The bell was about to ring and as Ethan and Isaac started debating the soap opera they both watched (Scott had virtually been banished from his living room one night as he, Isaac and his mother had been debating about who the murderer was in the latest storyline) Aiden started talking to Scott about lacrosse, which speaking of which...

“Hey Liam.” Scott said happily as his vice captain went past, and to his surprise, both Mason and Garrett groaned.

Liam turned an angry, hurt glare onto Scott, and took a step towards him, which seemed, despite his size, rather threatening, so Aiden automatically took a step in front of his Alpha to protect him from the smaller raging kid.

“Liam, calm down.” Garrett pleaded, and Mason rather bravely went in front of Liam and looked into his eyes.

“Hey, you need to calm down, or I’ll have to do it and you didn't like that did you?” he asked, but the sheer venom he sent Mason’s way in a single glance made the taller boy back off and retreat safely behind Garrett who sighed, bemused.

“Coward.” He sniped at him, and Mason glowered.

“Hey, he’s your friend too, you could do something other than just try and pull him back.” He snapped back bitterly, and Garrett shot him a bored look.

“Yeah, and if he cracks and leaps onto Scott, I’ll need to pull him off since last time he knocked you on your ass.” He retorted as Liam glowered at a very confused Scott.

“Liam, what is it buddy?” he asked, sensing that he was on very dangerous ground, not just from Liam but for him too, because if he made any move to hurt Scott, like he looked like he wanted to, the twins, both of whom virtually had their hackles raised, would jump on him too, and roaring in the corridor would cause all sorts of problems, the least of which was probably detention.

“Oh I’m your buddy now? Did I pass your ridiculous hazing thing?” he demanded angrily, still in control of his temper, but that was going to slip soon as Scott and the others looked completely clueless as to what he was on about.

“Liam what is it? What’s wrong?” Scott asked kindly, and beneath the anger that was raging off the kid, he could see a little trace of hurt in his eyes as he glowered at him.

“Last night, you asked me to keep everyone inside, so I did. I was doing it for ages, making up the most ridiculous excuses to keep everyone inside, all of them were laughing at me, having drinks thrown at me when people started getting drunk, two of them hit me and I still kept doing it! So are you happy, did I pass your dumb hazing thing, did it make your night, laughing at the idiot freshman doing what his captain told him to do because he was stupid enough to believe you were a nice guy!” Liam roared and so angry was he that even Aiden, loyal and willing to protect Scott till the last, took a step back.

Scott exchanged a mortified glance with Isaac, who shrugged back at him sheepishly, yeah, they had all kind of forgotten Liam. They’d had other things on their mind, the woman who attacked them, Martagh showing up and then finally Jackson reappearing it had driven the freshman right from their minds. But...the kid had done exactly what Scott had asked him to do, long beyond when anyone else would have done it, anyone else would have given up and gone home, or brushed it off. But, it seemed as if Liam really believed in Scott and had been wanting to justify Scott’s trust in him so he had done exactly what he had been asked, as if he had wanted to prove to Scott that he was deserving of his role of vice captain, as if to prove to Scott that he could trust him.

Isaac bit his lip as Scott looked at the furious freshman before him, and resisted the urge to go ‘aww’. Stupid sweet Alpha rubbing off on everyone.

“Liam...” Scott said, in a strange way kind of touched that Liam had put himself through so much hassle just for him.

“What? Thinking of another way to humiliate me?” Liam bit out, but the way that Mason and Garrett were looking at him made it clear that this reaction was different than usual, it was more hurt than angry.

“Aww Liam, I’m so sorry! Things got a little hectic when we left and I completely forgot I asked you to do that. I’m sorry buddy. But why on earth didn't you just go home?” Scott asked softly as the other pack and Liam’s friends looked on curiously as Liam looked at Scott, a little bit resentful and a little bit embarrassed.

“I...I was doing it so you knew you could trust me, I was trying to prove that I would be a good vice captain to you.” He mumbled, barely audible, in fact Garrett and Mason looked at each other in confusion as they didn't hear what he said, and the other wolves struggled but Scott heard it alright, and he felt a strange sensation in his stomach.

It wasn’t like he didn't have people being loyal to him, Stiles (usually), Isaac, the twins, Derek, Allison, Kira, all of them had proved that they would be more than willing to go to the ends of the earth for him, but to be so loyal, to endure ridicule and be punished for what he was doing and still doing it, all to try and prove himself to Scott, that, that was a little different.

“Liam, I swear I didn't mean to make a fool of you. And you don't need to prove anything to me, I already know it. How about I make it up to you? You and me, on the lacrosse field after school. You can show me how good you really are.” Scott offered and Liam perked up, looking at him hopefully.

“Really?” he asked excitedly, and Scott nodded, a grin on his face.

“Yeah, really. I really am sorry by the way.” He assured him, but Liam grinned, seeming much happier than he had a while ago and bounced off with a cheerful goodbye, leaving Mason and Garrett looking at each other in confusion.

“Ok, no explosion, no blood, no nothing. I feel strangely unfulfilled.” Garrett mused, not quite sure where this left him.

“Can we bottle you?” Mason asked curiously, making Scott look at him as if he were crazy.

“Huh? I don't smell that good.” Scott said in confusion, and Isaac looked at him speculatively.

“You do to me.” He commented innocently, enjoying bringing a little tinge to his boyfriend’s cheeks.

“No, what I mean is, you just defused Liam. We’ve been trying to do that for years, and you just had a few words and he went back to being his usual happy go lucky self, how did you do that?” Mason demanded excitedly, and Scott looked at him in confusion.

“Wait, I get he was pissed but...”

Garrett suddenly had a look of dawning realisation on his face, figuring out why Scott seemed so clueless.

“You don't know do you? Liam never used to go here, he used to go to the prep school the next town over. But, he was kicked out when he took a metal baseball bat to the lacrosse coach’s car. He has anger issues, he’s been diagnosed with IED.” Garrett explained, figuring that since Liam was so pleased to be even talking to Scott that he wouldn’t mind him telling the tale.

“IED?” Ethan asked, perplexed, when a quiet voice came up behind them.

“Intermittent Explosive Disorder, it means he can’t control his temper, and the smallest thing might bring out a very violent reaction.” Stiles explained as he edged into the group, feeling the hostile looks he was getting from Aiden and Isaac as he did so.

“What did the coach do to him?” Aiden asked, shocked, he seemed like such a little nice kid, yet he took a bat to his coach’s car?

Mason sighed.

“His coach was a bit of a dick at the time, I mean you guys saw Liam, he’s really good, just as good as another kid that was on the team, Brett. Problem was, Brett was the coach’s son and a spoilt little daddy’s boy.” He explained, and Isaac exchanged a bemused look with Scott.

“That sounds familiar.” He quipped and Scott smiled a little but said nothing.

“Well, we don't know who was behind it, but first game of the season, Liam pulled off this amazing run, blazed up the field like his ass was on fire and won the match by scoring in the final five seconds, the other team couldn't stop him. But all of a sudden the coach told him he was benched for the rest of the season.” Garrett explained, wincing as he remembered the vicious, snarling angry texts he had received from Liam after that had happened.

“What, he was benched for being good?” Kira asked as she appeared from nowhere, and Garrett nodded.

“Yep, I mean it was cruel, Liam was a hero, and from what Liam said even Brett, this guy who he had a kind of intense rivalry going on with, was really proud of him, congratulating him and talking to him like an equal instead of something on the bottom of the shoe. They were all getting on, and suddenly the coach grabs Liam aside and tells him he’s benched from now on for being a glory hog. The team all went nuts but he was insistent, telling them that Liam deserved it for taking the glory for himself even though he’d earned it and wasn’t pissing it in their faces. He told Liam that he was benched and as long as he was coach, he would never play again.” Garrett recounted, his face grim, and Mason then stepped in.

“See, the lacrosse, it actually helps with his IED, it lets him vent his frustration without it being all violent and potentially dangerous. But without the lacrosse, Liam just snapped. He felt pissed, and betrayed, and even though the entire team was batting for him, Liam snapped and lost it, beat the crap out of Brett’s dad’s car, cost about five grand to fix all the dings, and trust me it was an expensive car, the guy had everything. The head had no choice but to kick him out, it’s how he came here.”

Garrett nodded, smiling at Scott.

“He was our best friend even before he came here, but because he was at a different school, we could never do much to help him control his temper. Even when we were with him, usually all I was able to do was pull him off after he started swinging and most of the time I couldn't even do that. Mason just, well, he sucks.” He said with a grin making the taller boy scowl at him before he turned to Scott.

“But you just defused Liam, you kept him calm, he didn't start swinging or swearing on anything. Impressive. Expect a call next time he’s losing his temper.” Mason said brightly as the bell rang and he and Garrett ran up the stairs where Liam had bounced up minutes before.

“He looks so little.” Ethan said in surprise, shocked by these revelations.

“Well, my amazing boyfriend calmed down the kid he accidentally triggered. Well done,” Isaac said, kissing Scott’s cheek before he turned back to Ethan, “come on, we’ve got history, that bloody history teacher will give us lines if we’re late.” He said with a pointed grin at Kira, who smiled sweetly and gave him the finger as he vanished with his twin bodyguard.

“And...free period! What class have you got?” Aiden asked innocently, and Scott grinned in amusement.

“Aiden, I don't need a bodyguard in school, go and relax in the library or do work or something.” Scott told his beta as he and a nervous Stiles headed for the stairs for their English lesson.

“I can do other stuff.” Aiden offered, the filthy look he was giving Stiles more than enough to demonstrate what other options he was thinking of.

“No. Stay. Don’t make me go Alpha on you. Just relax, I don't need a bodyguard here. I’ll see you when we finish ok?” he asked as they walked away from the grumpy former Alpha.

“Um...are you two going to be frosty all period?” Kira asked nervously in between Scott and Stiles, as Scott hadn't even registered the fact that his best friend was there.

Scott didn't answer but shot Stiles a hurt look and moved a little quicker, making Stiles sag a little in defeat, and Kira clipped him in the ear.

“This is all your fault! So help me...” she growled, hurrying to catch up with her Alpha, a guilty and ashamed Stiles right behind her.

 

XX

 

“Hmm, there’s no motive. Either way, they were intruders in his home, he’s more than entitled to defend himself if he felt threatened, even if he did use excessive force in dealing with them. There’s something I’m not getting here, true four people are dead but guns, they clearly went there for a pleasant chat, they were there to harm him. Why on earth hasn’t that been considered?” Allegra asked herself, sipping her tea as she read the notes that John had given her.

She mused as she considered Derek’s file, looking at the report on the Hale Arson. Something was off with all of this, very strange. While John and the hot young deputy (she made a mental note to ask the boy’s opinion on him later, after all, their taste was clearly good but she had to check it wasn’t a fluke) had arrested Derek, they hadn't had much choice and by the looks of things from John’s report, that had been as much about protecting Derek as anything else. Since then, due to their closeness to the case, Haigh, the slightly older deputy, had largely taken over, and seemed particularly determined to convict Derek, but why?

She looked at the personnel files John had also slipped her while Charles kept a lookout, saying he knew they wouldn’t be misused. Haigh....well that was interesting.

She was cut off from her musings and cross referencing as a phone buzzed on the small coffee table behind her. Cursing she crossed over and rolled her eyes.

“Get a phone mom, it’ll be a good thing mom, she tells me, then she forgets her own bloody phone, which is of course the same sort of phone I’ve got. Whose is whose now? Silly new fangled thing, what happened to phones with buttons? Oh hang on, one single button...” she said, picking up the flashing iphone and pressing the button, and as she read the text that appeared on the screen, her eyes went wide.

“Well!” she exclaimed in shock, a delighted and evil grin appearing on her face.

 

XX

 

“That was Lydia, she’s been around all her neighbours, scoured her mother’s QVC orders, called three successive delivery companies, no one knows how you got there, no one saw anything.” Danny explained as he came back into the room where Jackson was being seen to by the only nurse they could trust in this situation, Melissa.

Jackson winced as Melissa took his arm, her face concerned and touch gentle as she examined him.

“How the hell can no one notice a massive person containing crate getting delivered?” Jackson demanded angrily, and Melissa shook her head, looking at Jackson worriedly.

“Are you sure you should even be out? After all, whoever did that to you, they meant business, coming here might not have been the best idea. Not that I’m not glad you’re back, my dinner conversations have been very dull without Scott bitching about you.” She told him fondly, and Jackson went a little red, then used his good hand to point at Danny.

“I told him that, but he wouldn’t listen. I think it was just a cover so he could get you to check his nose, but still, he dragged me here and since I’m kind of scrawny and he’s the one who’s giving me clothes, food and a bed, I felt like I owed him.” He complained, but she could hear the genuine gratitude in his voice even though he’d never admit it.

“Well excuse me for wanting to make sure my formerly missing best friend is alright.” Danny retorted, peeved but he saw Jackson’s slight smile and grinned too.

“Well, as far as I can see, you’re going to be alright. Obviously you’re now underweight, malnourished, and weak but give that a few weeks and when the wolfsbane is gone from your system you’ll be back to normal. But your arm...Jackson that isn't something human.” Melissa told him worriedly as Jackson pulled the red pullover hoody Danny had given him back over his bare chest, his hair still lank and unkempt.

“So, I’ll get back to normal?” Jackson asked, looking in the small mirror with an expression of loathing, and Melissa smiled a little, yeah it wasn’t funny, but seriously this kid was so vain, for someone to be good looking and worse knowing that he was, to have lost so much weight, to look so weak and dirty and maltreated had to be quite the comedown.

“Eventually yes, I don't know how much being a wolf will help but, take it easy, don't be in a hurry or you might make things worse. But Jackson, I have no idea what’s wrong with your arm.” she said worriedly, and Jackson rubbed it self-consciously.

“Deaton?” Danny asked in distaste and Melissa’s nostrils flared, but she nodded.

“Deaton.” She said grimly, Jackson looking between them in interest but explanations would need to wait as Melissa had fixed her beady eyes on Danny, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“So, why do I need to look at your nose? Have you been fighting?” she asked sharply, and he squirmed guiltily.

“Um, kind of. We were sort of attacked.” He admitted quietly, not meeting her eyes, which flashed in annoyance.

“We? As in the pack? I’ll kill them!” she vowed angrily, and Jackson winced, clearly Scott and Isaac hadn't told her about being attacked by the woman who had ambushed them.

“Scott and Isaac didn't tell you?” Danny demanded anxiously, looking very guilty that he had just dropped them in it.

“Tell me what exactly?” Melissa asked, and he shifted nervously.

“We were attacked last night by some old woman.” He admitted feebly, and Jackson looked at him in shock.

“You got your asses kicked by a woman? An old one?” he repeated in disbelief, and Danny scowled at him.

“Obviously she wasn’t a normal old woman, she was a creature, we just don't know what.” He replied irritably as Melissa gave him the once over.

“Could she be the one who did that to Jackson?” she asked, watching as Jackson stroked his arm worriedly, and Jackson looked hopefully at Danny, but as Melissa tenderly touched his nose, Danny shook his head.

“I don't think so, no. She seemed more focused on getting to Lydia than anything else.” He said, and Melissa sighed wearily.

“Great, so there’s two fresh hells in town.” She complained bitterly as someone knocked on the door as she passed Danny, though her reproving look made it clear he wasn’t to do anything dangerous again, which he bowed his head in response to as her mother walked into the room.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” she asked, immediately sensing that the smile her mother had on her face wasn’t good for anyone.

“I came to visit. Hello Danny dear.” She said fondly, and he smiled at her.

“Hi Mrs Delgado.” He said brightly and she turned her eyes to Jackson.

“Hello.” He said hopefully and she gave him a searching, concerned look.

“You don't look well son.” She said worriedly, and Melissa, scenting danger, interceded before her mother found out anything she shouldn’t.

“Well that’s why he’s here, it’s a hospital after all. This is Jackson mom.” She told her and Allegra’s eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh Jackson, yes, I’ve heard of you.” She said, and her tone made it clear it was nothing good.

“So why are you here?” Melissa asked, and Allegra shrugged, trying and failing to look innocent.

“Can’t a mother visit her daughter at work? You left your phone in the house, I’m bringing it to you. Very interesting reading it makes too.” She said idly, and Melissa suddenly tensed as she took her phone from her mother.

Her mother’s happiness...oh no.

“Oh no what did you see?” she demanded in a panic and Allegra started to laugh.

“Well, something that could be described as racy, my dear Melissa, keeping secrets from your mother, terrible thing, you know, about a certain red and flimsy piece of clothing. I was shocked and appalled to read such a thing on your phone.” She teased, and Danny and Jackson were looking at a now scarlet Melissa, who had her head bowed in shame, wishing she could vanish.

“Mother, be quiet, state secrets and all that!” she hissed and Allegra’s eyes widened.

“Ah, the boys don't know do they? Well my dear, I’m sure you have your reasons, but I’m afraid my silence has a price. Particularly about the thing more suited to dirty clubs.” She teased mercilessly, and Melissa glowered at her ecstatic mother, her face beetroot red.

“You’re an evil woman, seriously evil. Alright, deal. Just, keep quiet.” She begged and Allegra smiled.

“I’m sure I don't know why you’re keeping it from the boys, but I have to say I am proud of you. A vast improvement over the last stinker, he only ever did one thing right.” She said sniffily, and despite herself, Melissa smiled, pleased that her mother had approved of John, she hadn't approved of Rafe and had made no secret about it, and would have said ‘I told you so’ when the marriage fell apart had she not been more concerned with making sure she got through it.

Melissa opened the text and went scarlet, seeing what her mother had seen, hearing her mother chuckle evilly.

“My silence shall require three bottles of the wine I like and let’s see, five packets of my biscuits that I can’t get at home for some reason. Savvy?” Allegra asked cheerfully, and Melissa gave a small grunt and nodded reluctantly.

“Fine.” She bit out, supremely annoyed she had gotten herself into this mess.

“Seriously, the boys don't know?” Allegra asked, now sounding slightly concerned and Melissa grinned.

“Isaac and Malia know, we’re all curious to see how long it’ll take them to figure it out on their own.” She said, and Allegra’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh I see. I love my grandson to bits, but he is a bit oblivious bless him. Good for you dear. Make sure you don't leave lipstick on his dipstick.” Allegra advised as she hugged her daughter, who spluttered in shock at what her mother had just said, and Allegra gave her and the boys a cheery wave, leaving her daughter wishing she had a noose to hang herself.

Jackson looked at Danny curiously as a shocked Melissa staggered weakly from the room.

“What was all that about?”

 

XX

 

Liam was good. Amazingly good, and if Scott hadn't been a werewolf, the kid would be wiping the floor with him.

“How is that even possible?” Aiden watched as he and Kira passed the ball to each other with their sticks, and Kira was smiling as she looked at the slightly younger kid.

“He’s just that good. Are you ok? Scott told me about you and Lydia.” She asked kindly, and he scowled.

“Oh, I’m great having been dumped without so much as a reason on the same day her ex boyfriend gets delivered to her in a box. Yeah I’m thrilled.” He growled, hurtling the ball back towards Kira with such force that when she caught it, the momentum knocked her to the ground with a loud thud.

“Oh sorry.” Aiden said sheepishly, noticing Scott finally saved a shot Liam had sent his way because the kid was looking worriedly at Kira.

“Want me to kick her ass for you?” she asked as he pulled her to her feet and he grinned.

“No it’s fine. Do I need to kick Stiles still?” he asked hopefully, and she shrugged.

“I don't know, I don't think so. I think he’s been trying to make it up to Scott all day, but with you and Isaac floating around and out for his blood, he’s not gotten close, he kept trying to talk to him in science but Scott ignored him. If he doesn't by the time Scott leaves, then you kick his ass.” She said brightly, and he grinned, and Kira sent him a concerned look, as she didn't know if he was more excited to see Stiles grovel or to kick his ass.

“Want to try some suicide runs?” Liam asked hopefully, and Scott grinned.

“How about we get Kira and Aiden to help? Where are Mason and Garrett anyway?” he asked, figuring he could probably get a fair bit of his time to play since they were here.

It was just the four of them at the moment, school was out, homework was assigned, Malia was raging about maths, and other than him having not talked to Stiles all day, everything was mostly alright.

“Garrett’s with Isaac and Ethan, they’re swimming.” Liam explained, and Scott’s mind briefly misted over as he thought of his boyfriend, now the captain of the swim team, climbing out of the pool, dripping wet, drops of water running down his gorgeous body, slicking his hair back with water...

“Scott?” Liam asked worriedly, looking at the glazed look on Scott’s face and Scott came back to himself, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

“Sorry...um, where did you say Mason was?” he asked, hoping that Liam wouldn’t notice his lacrosse shorts were now bulging slightly.

“He works at the doctors after school, he’s an assistant nurse thing.” He said in confusion, not really understanding it but Scott accepted that answer.

And besides, he actually liked spending time with Liam. He was competitive, funny, but the way he looked at Scott...it was kind of like how Isaac used to look at him. Sure he still looked at him like that, but nowadays, the looks were a lot more playful and lustful and usually wound up with both of them naked. Liam was looking at Scott like he was a hero, and he had to admit, it felt good.

And he also enjoyed talking to him too, giving him tips, warning him about certain things in the school, like who not to pick a fight with. It was just, instinctive, and while he didn't know what it was, he did seriously like it, it was like...like having a baby brother.

It was nice, it was new, and it was fun. And besides, he did want to see just how good the kid was, otherwise he might not be captain for long. Mind you, he did hope he would take being co-captain a lot better than Jackson ever had if it came to that.

“Hey guys, come over here, let’s try a little game, me and Liam against you two.” Scott ordered and Aiden was at his side in an instant, Kira a little behind him, sharing an amused look with Scott.

Bless him, ever since he’d been officially let into the pack and had recovered from his near death, he had basically been Scott’s bodyguard, and while at times, Scott certainly appreciated having him as a bodyguard, there were times when he didn't. But by and large, he didn't mind, and kind of liked that Aiden was so loyal to him, and so protective of him, and so eager to please.

Actually, was it his imagination or was everyone now starting to share the same characteristics?

“Two on two, see if you can get past us.” Scott ordered and Aiden grinned at Kira.

“Reckon we can take them?” he asked, and she winked at him.

“Definitely.” She said boldly, smiling as she got a ball and pulled on her helmet.

Over at the car park, Mr Yukimura and Mrs Martin were heading towards the car.

“Natalie, do you know when the first lacrosse match is?” he asked hopefully, and Natalie frowned, trying to remember.

“Three weeks I think why?” she asked, and she saw him looking over at the field where Kira was doing her best to get around Scott as they practiced.

“No reason.” He said innocently, and Natalie considered if she should tell Ken that his daughter wouldn’t appreciate him doing anything embarrassing at her first game. But, she thought with a smile, high school was a transition, and she embarrassed Lydia all the time, why should Kira be spared?

“I see.” She said in amusement, and he made a small gesture of victory as Kira dodged around Liam and sent the ball rocketing into the net.

“That’s my daughter out there.” He said proudly, and Natalie rolled her eyes in amusement as she steered him towards his car.

Kira was like a dancer on the field, and Scott was beginning to feel slightly threatened, between Liam and her, he was definitely going to be in for a run for his money. She pirouetted around him, rolled to the ground and threw the ball to Aiden, who jumped into the air and caught it, before avoiding Liam and casting the ball into the net, giving Scott and Liam a gloating smile as he did so.

“Show off.” Scott complained without venom, not noticing the odd look on Liam’s face as Kira high fived her partner.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s go, I’ve got an idea.” Liam whispered, and Scott inclined his head to the slightly shorter boy, and grinned evilly when he heard the plan.

That could work.

Scott hoisted the ball into his net and ran to the left, and as expected both Kira and Aiden started to head towards him before Aiden started to slow up, clearly figuring out what his plan was. Scott then twirled, sending the ball hurtling through the air and Liam sprang, catching the ball and making a beeline straight for their unprotected net, scoring with ease and waving at the other two happily while Scott whistled appreciatively.

“Oh, it’s on.” Aiden vowed, slightly vexed that they had fallen for that and they got ready to go again.

Kira threw the ball into the air, and Aiden and Scott ran for it, Scott using his slightly smaller frame to his advantage and jetting into the air, catching the ball and sending it straight to Liam. Liam caught it deftly, running towards the goal when Kira appeared from nowhere, blocking him and Liam slowed a little, trying to find a way around her, but she was good, everywhere he went, she went too. She was smiling at him, and he grinned nervously back before he completely threw her by throwing the ball to Scott, and he smiled a little as she looked completely confused by what he had done, as Scott caught it, dodged Aiden and stuck the ball in the net.

“We’re a pretty good team.” Scott commented, clapping Liam on the shoulder, and he nodded excitedly as they got ready for another run.

Kira once again flipped the ball into the air, and Liam and Aiden both went for it. But as Kira tracked the balls progress, she saw what was about to happen a second before it did. Aiden was taller, and he was leaning back slightly as he stretched to get the ball. Liam tripped a little, stumbling and caught a stretching Aiden in the stomach. Aiden wheezed as Liam hit him, Liam using his stick to keep from falling but Aiden thudded to the ground with a grunt.

Kira winced as he landed, Liam looking mortified and offering Aiden a hand to help him up, apologising, but before Aiden could say anything, Kira’s blood froze as she heard a deep, threatening growl, and her eyes flashed orange as she looked in alarm at Scott.

He was growling, his eyes glowing crimson, and looking as if he was about to pounce on Liam.

Oh...dear.

“I’m sorry, I tripped.” Liam said, offering Aiden his hand, but he too felt the growl of his Alpha and roughly shoved Liam out of the way, Kira hurrying towards him as Scott made a move towards Liam.

The other two caught him just in time, Liam looking in shock as Aiden and Kira grabbed Scott under the arms and started shoving him back towards the changing room, Scott still growling, teeth gnashing as his two betas stopped him from springing on Liam who was looking at Scott, shaking a little in fear as the other two tackled him and drove him back towards the locker room.

 

XX

 

“Told you I’d beat you.” Isaac boasted as he sat on the edge of the pool, flicking water with his toe at Ethan, who smirked and flicked water back as he treaded water.

“You know, you’re lucky you’re Scott’s boyfriend, or I’d drag you back in here and teach you a lesson.” He told him and Isaac grinned maddeningly, stroking one hand through his wet hair, slicking it back as Garrett popped up from underwater beside Ethan, wiping water from his eyes and swiping his wet blond hair from his face.

“Did you guys see Emily?” he asked with a grin, and Isaac slipped back into the water, shaking his head.

“Um, you do realise I’m dating Scott and Ethan’s,” he began, but seeing the sad look on Ethan’s face he corrected himself, “gay too? I mean she’s nice and all, and yeah she’s hot, but if you’re looking for guys to help you measure girls with, we’re not your sorts.” He said in amusement and Garrett shrugged.

“I know that, but you at least like girls too right? And besides, I can’t do it with Liam, he’s too shy, and always mutters something about how he doesn't think it’s right that I rate girls based on hotness.” He said, and Ethan looked at him in confusion.

“Um, is that all you do to decide who you’re going to sleep with?” he asked, and Garrett shook his head.

“No! They need to be nice too, but, well, I like making sure they’re hot to go with it.” He said with a grin, and Isaac shook his head, smiling in amusement.

“Girls are lucky to have you.” He told him, and Garrett grinned proudly.

“Don’t I know it?” he asked, but they could both tell he wasn’t serious, but they both splashed water at him anyway.

“Hey, easy!” Garrett protested with a laugh, Ethan looking a little too interested in the hot guy wearing only swim shorts beside them when Isaac went still, other than poking Ethan hard on his bare shoulder.

“Ow!” he complained, but then stopped and heard it too.

Scott snarling and roaring, echoing through the school.

“Scott. Um, Garrett, can you get the others all squared away, we need to go.” Isaac told the younger blond boy and pulled himself out of the pool, Ethan right behind him, both of them grabbing their towels as they left, and Garrett looked at their retreating backs in confusion at their abrupt departure.

“Um, sure.” He said, not really having much of a choice and swam over to save Levi from Caleb who was beating him on the head with a foam float.

 

XX

 

Aiden and Kira had finally got Scott into the changing room, poor Liam standing looking hurt and dejected out on the field behind them as Kira slammed the door shut with her foot.

“Scott, calm down! Why’s he like this?” she asked, using all her might to shove him backwards towards the showers, which seemed to be where Aiden was steering him.

“Ethan and I wondered, we thought he might not get them since he’s a true Alpha...Scott...get back!” Aiden growled, his own eyes glowing blue as he struggled with his incoherent Alpha who was snarling, claws extended, eyes glowing crimson.

“What?” Kira asked as Scott roared in challenge at the two of them.

It was like nothing they had ever felt before, his roar thundering in both their ears, and Kira was sure she heard Aiden give an apologetic whimper before he snarled back and shoved Scott into the showers, still struggling to get out and get to Liam.

Aiden snarled in annoyance and struck by sudden inspiration, he grabbed the bottom of Scott’s lacrosse top and pulled it up and over his head, trapping his head in the darkness. With a final tug, Aiden pulled his top off and slammed his shoulder into Scott, sending his now shirtless body into the wall, his back hammering the button to turn the shower on, and Scott let out a snarl of surprise as cold water cascaded down on his head. Scott let out a halfhearted growl as Aiden snarled, taking Scott’s bare shoulders and forcing him to sit under the downpour of cold water, his hands getting wet as the water ran all over Scott’s bare chest, growling a little as he held Scott in place.

“Aiden? What the hell was that?” Scott asked in terror, his voice quaking as he looked up in fear at his beta, who sighed in relief and stepped back, drying his hands on a towel Kira had just swiped from Greenberg’s bag.

“Good question! You looked like you wanted to kill poor Liam!” Kira cried, pointing at the closed door to the outside, and Aiden crouched down before his soaking, shirtless Alpha, whose big brown eyes looked on the verge of tears.

“It’s because he’s the Alpha. Ethan and I meant to talk to you about it but we thought because you were a true Alpha you might not get it. It’s, think of it like this. If someone hurts Isaac, you want to kill them right?” he asked, Scott’s brown eyes focused on his and Scott nodded feebly.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t actually do it! At least I don't think I would.” He said nervously, and Aiden shrugged.

“We know you wouldn’t. But your wolf might. You’re the Alpha, in charge of an entire pack right? You need to protect them. You knew Liam didn't mean to knock me on my ass, but the wolf inside you is more primal than you are, and not as reasonable. See, he’s not pack. He’s basically an outsider, at least to the wolf inside you. So when he knocked me down, the wolf inside you saw it as an attack on a pack member, so your wolf wanted to react violently, by making the attacker pay, either by hurting them or turning them. Your wolf took over, and saw Liam as a threat, that’s why you wanted to hurt him. But, because you like Liam, it’s acting as a restraint on your wolf, so rather than kill, which for instance would be your default setting if someone hurt Isaac, because you like him, you were going to bite Liam. It’s a basic need for all Alpha’s, to bite, to expand their pack, to get stronger. You have betas sure, but we’re all defectors from other packs, you want one of your own. So, because you like Liam and because he accidentally hurt me, you saw him as the perfect person to bite and make a wolf.” Aiden explained, and Scott looked at him worriedly.

“But I would never bite anyone willingly!” he protested, and Aiden nodded.

“I know you wouldn’t, but you reacted instinctively. You were trying to protect me,” he said, sounding slightly pleased, “and your wolf got away from you.”

Scott nodded, the water having stopped, still dripping wet and looking miserable.

“Is Liam ok?” he asked urgently, looking at Kira.

“Yeah, we stopped you before you hurt him. I’ll go check on him.” She volunteered, leaving her soaking Alpha with his maddeningly calm beta.

“You ok now?” Aiden asked hopefully, running his hand through his spiky hair tiredly, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah. I’ve never felt anything like that, I just...I wanted to hurt him, to bite him. I’d never do it, but I couldn't control it. I needed to bite him.” Scott whispered softly, and Aiden clapped his wrist lightly.

“It’ll be better next time, it just took you by surprise that’s all.” He assured him, and Scott looked at him in alarm.

“Next time? There can’t be a next time!” he protested, and Aiden cursed his choice of words.

“What I mean is, the longer you hang around with Liam, the more your wolf will accept him. Eventually it’ll dismiss him as not a threat, like it’s done with Stiles, but until then, you just need to be careful.” He explained, and Scott pouted.

“So, I’ll want to keep hurting Liam?” he moaned, and Aiden gave him an apologetic look.

“Until your wolf gets used to him, yeah. And since they’re his friends, the same probably goes for Mason and Garrett too.” He admitted, and Scott groaned.

“Wonderful.” He whined, sounding so sad and scared, and Aiden fervently wished he had someone much better qualified than him to deal with this.

Outside, Kira saw Liam walking slowly and miserably off the field, his head bowed, and she had to run to catch up with him.

“Hey, Liam, wait!” she gasped, running up beside him, and he turned to face her.

“Hey Kira.” He said miserably, and as she got her breath back, she looked at him, and decided he shouldn’t pout, because all of a sudden she had a very strange urge to cuddle him.

“Where you going?” she asked, for want of something to say, because how could she explain Scott trying to kill him a second ago?

“Home. Out of Scott’s way.” He said sadly, but she shook her head.

“No don't go. Scott...” she had it, and she had to say, she was quite proud of herself for thinking of it, “he’s got something a little like you, like your IED. Sometimes it gets a bit too much for him. That’s all that happened.” She explained, and Liam looked at her miserably.

“He hates me doesn't he?” he asked, but Kira shook her head fervently, no, quite the opposite.

“Of course he doesn't, why would you think that?” she asked and Liam shrugged.

“Well I messed up, I hurt Aiden, we were having fun and I ruined it, just like I do everything.” He muttered sadly, and Kira took his arm and rubbed it soothingly, his sad eyes brightening up a little as she did it.

“Hey, enough of that. It was an accident, that’s all. Scott doesn't hate you, if anything he hates himself for losing control like that. This wasn’t your fault ok? It was an accident. And besides, he’ll literally kill me if I let you go, he wants to apologise. You don't need to be sorry for anything ok? It wasn’t your fault, he just lost it. Just like you do sometimes.” She said with a slight smile, and she counted it as a win when she got a half smile.

“Yeah I can relate. So everything’s good?” he asked hopefully, and she nodded.

“Yeah. Well, it will be when he’s grovelled.” She said in amusement and he laughed a little.

“Thanks Kira. Hey, if Scott is coming back out, do you want to shoot a few goals without him? Just us?” he asked hopefully, his eyes bright.

“Oh, sure! I’d love to, hang on, where’s my helmet...and stick...” she mused and Liam grinned as he watched her dark hair glinting in the wintery sunlight.

Scott didn't hate him, he hadn't ruined everything like he usually did, he was on the team and he was practicing with a girl he liked. He blushed a little as she smiled happily at him, having found her stick and helmet and was ready to play.

He smiled shyly at her, pulled on his helmet and headed over to her side and for the first time since he started here, he stopped missing his old school, and as she smiled at him happily, he smiled back, feeling at home for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down on episode 2! 
> 
> I'll say this now, I want a Liam. He's so cute, I just want to cuddle him and make sure no one hurts him. He's adorable, and I love when he hangs out with Scott (though I do miss Isaac)
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, as you can see our little wolf (who wont be a wolf in this season of my story) has a little thing for Kira and some issues to go with it
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated, keep them coming, I try to answer all comments too, so please keep them up!


	10. Episode 2: Silence Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack reconciles, Melody visits Deaton, and Allegra confronts the unknown

Two-Pack II

 

Scott was now mostly calm, and dry (he had improvised and had stood under the hand dryers in the bathroom, that was admittedly a major blow about Jackson not being on the team anymore, no easy access to a hair dryer), and now he was making sure he was totally calm by styling his hair again, trying not to let it bother him that he had been willing to rip poor Liam’s head off just for accidentally knocking Aiden on his butt. He shuddered as he considered the problem, he loved Aiden, and he had become a firm friend and as a pack member he would do anything for him anyway, but...well that had been bad enough, he dreaded to think about his reaction if Liam had accidentally knocked Isaac or his jerk best friend on their ass.

How was he meant to captain the team if he had this problem? What was he meant to do, he couldn't go on the field like this, not if he risked biting someone on the other team should they tackle one of his side. Aiden assured him that Liam was fine, and by and large it was only really Liam, Mason and Garrett who were in danger, as they were technically in limbo, neither in the pack or out of it, but it still scared him.

The door banged open to reveal a wet haired and leather jacket clad Isaac and Ethan, followed by a frantic Stiles and the three of them crossed to Scott as he washed the gel of his fingers while Aiden rolled his eyes in amusement.

“What, don't think I can handle a pissed Alpha on my own?” he challenged, and Ethan looked at him worriedly, Aiden feeling the alarmed gaze penetrate his chest where he had been stabbed. This had become customary, one night Aiden had cut himself when slicing onions and when he had swore, Ethan had come rushing through and had immediately looked to his chest even though his hand was the thing that was clearly bleeding. It was endearing, and he was his twin, but still, it was slightly annoying.

“What happened?” he asked, apparently satisfied his twin was alright as Stiles hovered nervously in the background and Isaac crossed to his shirtless boyfriend, cupping his face in his hands.

“Are you ok? I heard you, you sounded angry, I was afraid the old Jedi lady with the whip was kicking your ass again.” He said worriedly, Scott feeling the last tension leave him as Isaac focused his blue eyes on him, and smiled a little as he looked at his boyfriend’s long eyelashes. He nodded and kissed Isaac’s nose, then nuzzled him a little, soothing Isaac’s agitation, which was subtle, but there.

“I’m fine. I kind of lost control. Liam knocked Aiden on his ass, and the wolf part of me kind of went nuts, saw it as a threat to a pack member. I could have hurt Liam but they got me away, he’s fine, he’s out playing with Kira.” He assured him, and Stiles spoke up quietly from the back.

“Really? You’ve never had problems like that before, controlling your wolf bit, even if one of us was in trouble.” He said, and Scott glowered at him, still stung by his accusation from the previous night.

“Yeah maybe I just needed my best friend to tell me I basically suck at keeping people alive to bring it out.” He bit back, and he knew he was being unfair, but he didn't care.

Stiles looked ashamedly at his shoes, and despite being firmly on his side, Isaac still gave him a reproving look. Admittedly though, if he and Stiles fell out, he would be in the middle of it, well not entirely, after all, he lived and slept with Scott so kind of had to go with what he said, but still, he was Stiles friend even if he was a bit annoyed with him.

Aiden felt the frostiness in the air and looked hopelessly at Ethan, who took the initiative.

“I think that’s our cue to leave.” He said with finality, and Aiden nodded.

“Yeah, I need to make sure Liam isn't destroying Kira’s confidence.” Aiden agreed, following his brother from the room.

“And Ethan and I need to go and get our stuff, and the rest of our clothes.” Isaac admitted, ruffling his damp hair experimentally, and Scott looked at him in playful curiosity.

“Wait, are you telling me you’ve got nothing on under that jacket?” he asked hopefully, looking at the zipped to the top leather jacket, and Isaac grinned maddeningly.

“I’ve also not got anything on under these jeans. See you in a bit.” He said, kissing him softly, his hand stroking his gelled parting to make it look combed and he left the room, leaving Scott tense again, but the pleasant sort of tense.

Well he was until he saw Stiles standing there, looking at his shoes but clearly not going anywhere, a look of tremendous guilt on his face as he hovered awkwardly. The two of them stood in silence for a minute before Stiles looked up desperately.

“I’m sorry!” he blurted out, his eyes looking tortured, but Scott wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

Well, he was, because as soon as he apologised he felt a million times better, but he wasn’t going to let this go without Stiles grovelling a bit.

“For what?” Scott asked, pretending he didn't know, not looking at Stiles as he sat down, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Stiles grin a little at the familiar grovelling process (last time this had happened was when Stiles had told him Professor McGonagall died in the last book, and Scott had been devastated for months, one at receiving this ‘spoiler’ and two thinking a character he liked die, he hadn't been happy when he found out the truth, well he kind of was, but not with Stiles) as he sat down beside him.

“For what I said. Malia, you know what she’s like, kind of like Derek, kind of a one track mind. I know that doesn't justify what she said...” he began and damn it Scott was hitting him with sad puppy eyes.

“What she said didn't bother me Stiles! I mean, it’s Malia, and whether I like it or not, she has a point.” He said miserably, and Stiles hesitantly wrapped an arm around Scott’s shoulder and gave him a slight squeeze.

“I know buddy. What I mean to say is, don't let what she said get you down, because, well, even though we got our asses kicked, you’re still the best Alpha this town has ever had.” He said, and while he knew it was only to get in his good books he didn't mind what he said in the slightest.

“But...”

“Hey, I’m not done. I’m sorry about what I said. I...I was scared. I know that doesn't excuse me knocking you like I did, but, after everything we’ve been through, I thought we were stronger you know, safer? And then this chick, which we still don't know what she is, comes along and nearly kills us all. I thought we were stronger than that. I was afraid that one of us was going to die, and I took it out on you. I mean, Allison’s gone, Aiden nearly died because of me-”

“Hey, none of that was your fault! You were possessed. The only thing you get blamed for is kissing Isaac, and that’s really just me being a dick because you kissed my boyfriend. Nothing else is your fault.” He told him sternly, though with a small smile on his face.

Stiles smiled.

“Yeah I know that. But last night when it seemed like we were going to die again, that someone else we care about was about to die, that you, or Malia, or Lydia, or Isaac, that any of us might die, I, I didn't handle it well. I was frightened, scared. I was afraid that I was going to lose someone, again, and that we’d be powerless to stop it again. And, because I felt powerless, I took it out on you. I know that you would never let us get hurt if you could avoid it, and I know that you still feel guilty that Allison died, I know that. I’m sorry Scott, I should never have blamed you. And, I’m sorry it looked like I was just going along with Malia. I swear, I wasn’t just going along with her to get laid, well, we didn't even have sex last night, well not real sex, we played doctors and nurses,” he said with a smile gracing his face, “but I wasn’t, you know, going along with her just because I sleep with her. I was scared, and took it out on you. I know you’re a great Alpha, and that you’ll do anything to protect us. And I’m just an ass.” He complained, and Scott was rubbing his eyes, and Stiles smiled mockingly.

“Did I make you cry?” he asked, kind of hopeful, he did a good job grovelling if he made him cry.

“No! I’m trying to get the image of you and Malia playing doctors and nurses out of my brain you sick git. And besides,” he said, yeah, that image would need to be replaced by him and Isaac doing something very soon, “I know you’re still having a tough time and feel powerless. But you’re not. You’re my best friend you idiot, I’ll do anything to protect you ok? Nogitsunes, pissed off coyote girlfriend, anything, you hear me?” Scott asked sternly, smiling as he did it and Stiles nodded and smiled back.

“Got it.” He said, and hugged his brother fiercely, both of them grinning.

“Ok, get off, if Isaac comes back and sees this, he might get jealous. Not as bad as you do though.” Scott teased, all resentment forgotten and Stiles scuffed his shoe.

“Yeah that was also me being a dick. Sorry about that too, I shouldn’t get pissy just because you care about other people, especially Isaac. He’s your guy, I’m your brother. He gives you a happy.” Stiles teased back, and Scott grinned mercilessly.

“Actually he rarely gives me an actual happy, I do that to him and makes me happy as a result.” He bragged cheerfully and Stiles groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“Alright, fine, your revenge, now my brain’s seared too, happy?” he asked, nudging Scott’s bare shoulder with his own as Scott laughed.

“I am now. But I’m still worried about you. Are you ok?” he asked, his brown eyes looking at him in concern, and for a brief moment, Stiles considered telling him everything.

Like the dark thoughts he still had in his head, the mind games he could still play, his increased strength, his accelerated healing, his money problems, his annoyance that Malia couldn't control her claws when they were having sex, his fears that he was tainted...but no. Scott had enough on his plate, and with the way he had acted, he didn't deserve turning to Scott for help. Not right now, if at all.

“Yeah I’m fine. So, what did I miss?” he asked, and Scott grinned.

“Oh not much,” he commented innocently, looking in his bag for another top to wear, “Jackson’s back.” He said conversationally.

“WHAT?” Stiles demanded in shock, and Scott laughed.

 

XX

 

The air had certainly cleared, as Stiles and Scott came out together, talking rapidly, and Kira smiled a little as she watched them approach. A now fully dressed Isaac and Ethan had joined them, as had a curious Garrett and Scott was splitting them into teams (while sending Isaac a disappointed look which he only smiled in response to as he was now wearing one of his scarf necked tshirts that so excited him) when he pulled Liam aside, and Kira smiled happily at the younger kid as he edged closer to their Alpha. She’d enjoyed playing with him, just on their own, and he had helped correct her grip, checking her posture and her poise nervously, as though thinking he shouldn’t be doing it.

He was sweet, and cute, and she made him happy.

Garrett watched Kira skip towards her team, fresh from her solo session with Liam, smiling slightly proudly as he watched her, and deciding rather than wind him up mercilessly (he’d let Mason do that), he’d just sit and bask in the glory that was his tutoring of Liam on the art of girls.

“I’m sorry.” Liam muttered sadly, his head bowed, but Scott took his shoulder, making the younger boy look up at him nervously.

“Hey, don't be. It was an accident, and me, well, I shouldn’t have lost it the way I did. I didn't mean to get so angry, least of all at you. You didn't do anything wrong ok? In fact, in a weird way, I don't think I’ve have gotten so angry if you were doing something wrong.” He assured him, and Liam looked at him in confusion.

“Huh? So what, you’re mad at me because I’m doing right?” he asked, and Scott shook his head

“No, I’m not still mad at you, I was never mad at you, not really. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, I wouldn’t have even gotten mad if I didn't like you so much.” He told the younger kid, and it was odd, but the happy expression he put on Liam’s face made it all worth it.

“You like me?” Liam asked, slightly shy, but looking quite happy, and Scott grinned.

“Yeah. Now, my little vice captain, see if you can’t manage to beat my time since you’re so good.” Scott challenged, hoisting his stick, and Liam gave him a cocky grin.

“Oh, you’re on.” He goaded cheerfully, and took his place in front of one goal, Garrett standing as a loyal bodyguard, Ethan behind him having been press ganged into service and Kira slightly behind Liam, looking at ease, goading Scott, Isaac, Stiles and Aiden and the scrimmage began.

 

XX

 

“Well, I’m glad to have you aboard Dexio.” Deaton said, shaking the young man’s hand firmly, and the young man across the operating table from him smiled happily.

“Thank you so much. I won’t let you down.” He assured him and Deaton nodded, looking at the young man across from him.

What with one thing and another, he had been considering hiring another member of staff for a while, especially as the supernatural was getting completely out of hand due to the nemeton being switched back on. Another vet would mean he could keep an eye on things other than the animals for a change, and would also hopefully get the princess and the pack off his back every time they wanted him to do something.

He suppressed that thought in distaste. He didn't like the pack being so pushy. He wasn’t foolish enough to deny that he deserved their distrust and anger, but he had helped them a lot since Scott had become a wolf, and he was getting no thanks at all. He was trying to help Scott, after all, he was the key to the future. Speaking of that he would need to tell Scott about Dexio before Scott tried to sue him for unlawful dismissal, he didn't want Scott going anywhere. He needed him here where he could keep an eye on him, help him, guide him towards his destiny, to do what needed to be done.

All without the princess finding out of course.

He looked at the young man he had just hired. Tall, tanned, with long flowing black hair to his shoulders, he actually looked a little like an older version of Scott. He was basically on his probationary year, and, to be fair, the amount of stuff they had to deal with that was normal around here would be a good grounding for him. It might also mean he could get weekends off, which would be pleasant (he still hadn't watched Lost) so once Dexio was up and running and he’d checked how competent he was, Dexio would basically get a lot more work thrown his way. And besides, if Deaton should ever go anywhere, it would mean that there would be someone to open the clinic for proper consultations (admittedly, Scott did run a popular minor injuries clinic which Isaac (who refused to go anywhere near Deaton for his role in his and Scott’s break up) helped out with). Yes Dexio being here would be very useful.

And considering what he was, it wouldn’t hurt to have the lad around Beacon Hills, just in case.

Dexio stroked his long black hair behind his ear, smiling.

“Ok great, so, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He said, Deaton smiling.

“Yep, and every day after that. I have an actual assistant, Scott, you can meet him too, but I’m sure you two will get along fine.” Well, better than he and Scott were getting on at the moment anyway, and Dexio smiled.

“Cool. See you.” He said, bidding Deaton goodbye and the tall, well built long haired young man left the building, leaving Deaton to muse on how happy and cheerful, and hopefully easy to work with he seemed. Like Scott used to be with him.

He needed to try and win back Scott’s trust, try and get things back to the way they were. Admittedly, him encouraging Scott to break up with Isaac hadn't been particularly inspired, but he hadn't wanted Scott distracted, but he also hadn't wanted him revealed to the world, both of which had happened but Scott still seemed to be going strong.

The problem was there was so little information about true Alphas, the council had seen to that, so he was playing by ear. He knew that true Alpha’s received a much greater power boost from their pack than normal ones but that didn't help him understand it any better.

The door rang, jarring him from his thoughts, but rather than his new long haired probationer, it was someone much worse.

It was Princess Melody.

“Princess.” He said, not even bothering to put any false cheer into his voice as he bowed, loathing every second of it, but to his surprise, she waved her hand at him patiently, bidding him to stand up.

“Alan. Hmm, who was that?” she asked, looking out the door with curiosity, and he suppressed a grimace, he hadn't wanted her to know about Dexio, couldn't he do anything now without her sticking her nose in?

“My new probationer, he needs to do a year with an actual vet in order to qualify. Besides, I’m fed up of working weekends.” He explained, hoping she would go no further.

“You ought to be careful Alan.” Melody warned, and his blood froze.

There was no way she could know, as far as he knew even the wolves wouldn’t be able to tell what Dexio was, there was no way for them to know...

“How is that?” he asked coolly, praying and she smiled.

“Keep hiring attractive staff like him and Scott and you may be out on your ear by popular demand.” She purred, sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting area, and Deaton breathed a silent sigh of relief.

She didn't know what Dexio was, and apparently couldn't tell. While she didn't have a sense of smell nearly as acute as the wolves, he figured he was in the clear if she hadn't twigged.

“What can I do for you princess?” Deaton asked, feeling slightly more civil towards her now he knew Dexio’s secret was safe, and she leaned back in her chair.

“I need advice on the pack.” She told him, and he narrowed his eyes, if she thought he was going to help her get close to the pack, she could think again.

“Take it from me princess, coming between them doesn't work.” He advised her, but she shook her head.

“I don't want to split them up, I just want to know more about them. I know everything you told my mothers from a distance, not that that’s very much,” she said coolly, her eyes narrowed and he gulped nervously, “but I need to know more. I don't want to harm them, I just need to understand them, that’s all. Nothing more.” She assured him and he nodded slowly.

“I can help with that. But what are you up to princess?” he asked curiously and she smiled.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? I only want to understand them, know them, that’s all.” She said, but Deaton would be a fool if he believed her, she had another agenda, but what it could be he didn't know. Thankfully the pack had only just gone back to school so she couldn't have done anything too extreme yet, but what she could be up to he couldn't figure out.

“I can give you a brief overview.” He said and she nodded.

“Good. Out of interest, have you felt a sort of aura running through the town?” she asked curiously, not meeting his eyes, and he frowned.

Admittedly he had felt something strange, but he had dismissed it, figuring some other creature was passing through town. But now that he closed his eyes, he could feel it, it was still there, a sort of pall over the town.

“Yes, vaguely.” He said in concern, and she frowned.

“Any idea what it is?” she asked, and he shook his head, but now he felt it, a sort of dark cloud hovering over the town, he didn't like it, and clearly, Melody didn't either.

“None, it’s only just appeared though. I doubt it’s much to worry about though.” He assured her, and she nodded, then looked at him curiously, a suspicious look on her face.

“Did you know there’s a new creature in town?” she asked, and he looked at her with genuine surprise.

To be fair there were all sorts of creatures travelling through the town now, a result of both the nemeton being powered up and Scott announcing himself to the world, but the way she was talking it seemed as if there was a new creature actually staying in town.

“Really? Scott hadn't said.” He told her, and she glowered at him.

“If you hadn't bungled and made such a mess of things between him and Isaac then you might have heard it before now.” She said tartly and he scowled.

“How did you find out?” he challenged and she shrugged.

“I eavesdropped, how else?” she asked as though it were perfectly natural and he rolled his eyes, he shouldn’t be surprised.

“And what did you eavesdrop?” he asked her, and she looked pensive.

“The pack was attacked last night, by what was described as an old Jedi lady with a whip who got younger every time she stole a voice from one of the pack, and seemed particularly determined to kill Lydia.” She informed him, and he considered it.

Getting younger could be any kind of thing, particularly if magic was involved, but the fact that it seemed determined to kill Lydia and steal voices made it fairly obvious as to what it could be.

“A Pombero.” He concluded, and Melody nodded hesitantly.

“Well that would be my guess. Now, eventually, discretion will come before valour and they will swallow their pride and come and ask you for help. And for a change my dear doctor, you are going to help them.” She hissed, and he glared at her.

“I always help them when they ask for it.” He told her defiantly, and she laughed coldly.

“Please, you give them guidance then sit back and let them stumble in the dark. Now, I don't know why you do that, I know it isn't to hurt Scott, you do want him alive, and I can make an educated guess why too, but you don't seem willing to help the others. Now, my interest is in Scott, same as yours, but unlike you, I value the rest of the pack too as they tie into Scott’s power. So dear doctor, when they eventually swallow their pride, you will tell them everything they need to know for a change, am I perfectly clear?” she hissed angrily, and Deaton glowered.

“Of course princess. Is there anything else you require of me?” he asked, trying to keep polite, and she favoured him with an irritated look.

“Nothing that I can think of. However Deaton, remember your place, you do as we say, and if I find you are advancing your own agenda in any way, then I’ll kill you.” She warned and with a final look of contempt, she swept from the building, Deaton steaming in rage at being talked to in such a way behind her.

 

XX

 

Agravaine looked across the graveyard, his very presence here strengthening him. He could feel it, the graveyard, the death, and more, he could feel the power of the nemeton, the corruption beginning to take hold and sending unseen ripples throughout the entire town. He had well and truly moved in.

Thane appeared beside him, his tall hulking brute of a second in command smiling grimly as they watched the rest of the pack at work.

“We’ve got everyone we need, even the one for Jackson. Do you really think he will bother him?” he asked curiously, and Agravaine gave him a cold smile.

“Yes. After all, he was very talkative in the time he was with us. Long after you and Malakai got bored of playing with your new toy, I was finding out each and every single thing I could about him. Yes it will work. It will work for all of them.” He assured Thane, and he grinned, his blackened, sharpened teeth looking menacing in the shade of the graveyard.

“Good. Bonnie got everything we needed. But she is worried that doing it will put us in danger.” He told his friend, sounding amused, and Agravaine chuckled.

“Bless her. But she always has been our conscience my old friend,” he said in amusement, clapping Thane’s bulging shoulder and giving it a squeeze, “allow her her foibles. Besides, her concerns are irrelevant. Did we find what we were looking for?” he asked curiously, and Thane nodded, his eyes glinting with malice.

“Yes, you were right, there is a gravesite here. You have to wonder why these people can’t just bury them in the back garden like everybody else.” He mused, and Agravaine had to admit, he had a point.

“Well, the oddities of the locals aside, do we have what we need?” he asked, and Thane nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve got enough, they just need us to do our bit with them. But you should know, a dog was killed last night in an attack that killed two young men, they were ripped apart by talons. He followed us here.” Thane warned, and Agravaine nodded, a small, soft smile playing on his face as he watched Malakai and Rhyley, both of them shirtless, covered in mud as they went about their task, his eyes lingering on Malakai as they worked.

“We knew he would. It doesn't matter, we both know he’s nothing compared to us.” He hissed venomously, and Thane looked around, making sure the others were all otherwise engaged before he leaned closer to the leader of the pack.

“Yes but we’re running out of time, eventually the others will notice you getting weaker.” He whispered urgently, fear flooding his voice and Agravaine gave a low, guttural growl.

“You overstep yourself Thane. Besides, I will not fall for I shall rise! Hollis will die here in Beacon Hills, and when that happy time comes about, we shall be forever free of that annoying thorn in our side known as the Owlman! Beacon Hills will be his grave, and for the record, never question my ability to defeat that annoying gnat again.” He growled murderously, and Thane backed off, looking worried and slightly bothered, so Agravaine laid his hand on his shoulder.

“Thane, he is nothing compared to me. I am more than capable of defeating him. I won’t die.” He promised, and Thane sighed wearily.

“I know you can destroy him, but...” he began, words failing him and Agravaine chuckled.

“My dear Thane, there is no but. Hollis will die here, and I will remain, and then, the world is our oyster. Now, are you sure we have enough to do what needs to be done?” he asked, moving on and trying to take his second in command’s mind off of what was bothering him, and Thane nodded, the dark light of malice in his eyes again.

“Yes, and Bonnie is going to the vet’s later to get more information. They just wait for our pleasure.” He assured him and Agravaine nodded, pleased.

After all, it was so hard to find friends when one was away from home, so what better way was there than to create new ones?

Thane looked at where the others were all working, and looked thoughtfully out at them all.

“Are you sure this is wise? I mean, I support this whole heartedly, but what we plan to do after they’re distracted? It could blow up in our faces.” He warned, and Agravaine chuckled.

“You worry too much Thane. You fear they’ll come after us, and ordinarily I would agree. But you forget our greatest weapon, secrecy. No one knows we are here, yet, and by the time our little Alpha pup discovers us, it’ll be too late, and they will be more focused on the pack than us. After all, why would they focus on us, who are new to town, when there’s the pack of the first true Alpha in a millennium in the town?” he asked darkly, his eyes flashing a sickly yellow.

“I told Bonnie that,” he said, sounding smug, “you realise Scott will eventually look for answers?” he asked, and Agravaine smiled.

“My dear Thane, I look forward to it. I think it’s time we introduce ourselves to the little Alpha pup, don't you? And for that, we shall need our special guest stars.” He purred, looking at what the pack was doing proudly, and Thane nodded excitedly, his eyes flashing blank, shining emotionless white.

“With pleasure.” He muttered in a low growl, getting on all fours and heading for a grave with a white marble headstone, and Agravaine looked on in sadistic excitement as he watched his pack work while Bonnie looked at what the others were doing with a look of slight disgust on her face as the putrid smells assaulted her nostrils.

 

XX

 

Visits were about all that Derek lived for nowadays, well, rather than unexpected assassination attempts against him. Being the only prisoner in solitary (though several times he had gotten a whiff of someone else in solitary, but had never found out where it was coming from or who it came from) he had to be escorted to and from the visitor room, and at separate times from everybody else in the prison. He sat there, mulling things over in his head, figuring it was probably best that he was kept separate from the rest of the prison population. After all, he was a werewolf sure but against what was now an entire clan of hunters who were blaming him for the deaths of four of their own, and since she hadn't been seen in months, most likely the death of their leader Araya as well.

The entire thing was still praying on his mind. He knew Scott believed that he hadn't done it, and by and large the pack also believed that, but how could he himself be sure? His memories of the entire night when it had happened had disappeared. As a result he had spent many hours with psychologists, including Marin Morrell who he had found a lot more helpful than all the other psychologists simply because she knew about the supernatural, all of them poking at him, asking him questions, if he ever saw another ink blot card in his life it would be too soon. It was a pity, he used to like Watchmen, now he wouldn’t be able to watch Rorschach at all anymore. All of them trying to unlock hidden memories, reveal to him his past (why they all wanted to go back to his childhood was beyond him, when Morrell had shown up it had been a pleasant change as she had gotten right to business), but none of them, not even Morrell, were of any use in figuring out what the hell was going on. Scott had reluctantly helped her in one session, trying to extract the memories form Derek’s mind but had gotten nowhere, as the memories literally weren’t there to be taken. This of course had led to Morrell and her missionary apprentice, Braeden (he must remember to explain to Scott the difference between the two next time he visited) beginning a hunt for answers which had still not progressed any further. On the plus side, he did like seeing Braeden when she came to visit, so at least there was one advantage to all this.

But while he did welcome the visits of Braeden, the visits of the various officers were an entirely different story. Although both Stillinski and Parish were doing all they could to get him out of this mess, the long process meant that they could do little to help him out of this situation, and do to their connection with Stiles and by extension him, they also couldn't direct the case. While the two of them did admit that any reasonable judge would declare that even if he had killed them it would have been in self defence, the fact that Haigh, who was now the officer in charge of the case, was prosecuting it with such wanton venom that it seemed unlikely he would ever get that far, and was arguing that Derek, who of course had no memory of the event, had killed them in something other than self defence and was hence arguing that he be tried for four counts of murder, which if he could get away with he would also try and bring in the implications of Araya’s disappearance. As such, the odds were pretty stacked against him and he was trapped in here, unable to help Scott, unable to do anything except sit in his cell staring at the ceiling all day wondering how the hell he was going to clear his name and what the hell had happened to his memories.

Mikaela opened the door, giving Derek a friendly nod, and at her heels was Braeden, who smiled at him as she sat down at the table, Mikaela standing outside the door as she always did to give them some privacy.

“What have I missed?” he asked, and once she checked to make sure Mikaela was elsewhere, she launched into an explanation.

“There’s a new creature in town, it attacked the pack and was trying it’s hardest to kill Lydia. Marin is investigating, but without having actually seen it, there’s not much she can do to identify it yet.” She explained grimly, and Derek sighed.

“Great. And I’m stuck in here. What the hell is taking them so long, surely Haigh has enough of a case to get me to trial now?” he asked her, peeved and she gave him a grim smile.

“Well you would think so wouldn’t you? He nearly does have enough he’s just waiting for a few more test results to come back and then he’s going to hand you over to a judge. But if you ask me, all this is a bit extreme, particularly when any reasonable judge will most likely argue that it was self defence. Either way, it’s you not being able to remember anything that’s causing the problems, it makes anything you say potentially inadmissible in court.” She said worriedly, and he sighed in frustration.

This was driving him insane. Yeah he’d been arrested before (no thanks to Scott and Stiles) but it had never taken this long to figure out, and this time, it was incredibly deadly serious.

He knew how it looked, he had been found covered in the blood of those four hunters, their skin under his nails, and had no memory of whatever the hell it was that had happened that night. On top of that, Araya vanishing as she had could easily be made to look like further suspicion on him, particularly when he was already facing charges of murder. But the entire thing was a farce, a farce that Haigh was investigating far too closely. Those four hunters had broken into his home and had attacked him, which meant even if he had killed them it would arguably have been in self defence. Clearly, Haigh had an agenda.

“Look Braeden, I know you and Morrell are trying your best, but I need to get out of here, I needed to get out of here even before the entire Callavera clan got banged up in here, but now all of them are in here, it’s kind of urgent that I get out before the army of murderous hunters that got arrested kill me because they think I killed their friends and their boss.” He hissed in annoyance, and Braeden scowled.

“Hey don't get stroppy with me. There’s more going on here than we know, we just need to figure out what it is. We’re all doing all we can. Even Scott’s grandmother is helping now, she used to be a cop, she can help figure it out.” She explained, looking annoyed that he was taking out his frustrations on her, and he sighed.

“I know you are. Alright, let’s think about this logically, who would want to frame me? I think we can rule out the Callaveras, but who else could there be? What we need to figure out is who’s strong enough to take my memories away from me and leave me totally clueless, and who would then go to the trouble of framing me?” he asked irritably, because quite frankly, he wanted out of here.

Braeden looked at Mikaela, making sure she was still on the right side of the door.

“Look, you aren't going to like this suggestion, but what if it’s Stiles? I mean, we all assumed the Nogitsune was finished, but that doesn't mean it necessarily is. There’s something not quite right about him.” She whispered, and Derek considered it for a moment.

But no, the Nogitsune was gone, it had to be, Isaac had reported that he and Argent had immolated the bloody thing. And the kid had been possessed, and was kind of a spaz at the best of times anyway. No, this wasn’t anything to do with Stiles, of that he was fairly sure. But now that she mentioned it, he couldn't help but feel the solution was obvious, that it was just in front of him, but he couldn't see it.

“No. Isn't there anything else you can do to help me get my memory back?” he shot at her, and she mused on this possibility.

“There might be a way. When the pack was attacked, a Scuffock showed up to save them, says she’s here to train Lydia. She might be able to help.” She offered, and Derek nodded, after all, any progress was better than none at all.

“Sounds like a plan. Anything to get out of sitting around here all the time going slowly mad with nothing to do. Can you do me a favour? There’s definitely someone else in solitary with me, I want to know who they are.” He said, and she shot him a concerned look.

“You’re meant to be in here alone. If there’s someone else in solitary with you, they aren't meant to be in here.” She said worriedly, and he shrugged.

“He’s perfectly safe whoever he is, I can’t get out even at full moon, it’s just I want to know who it is, the smell’s vaguely familiar and it’s driving me crazy. Well being in here is driving me crazy but that isn't helping much.” He complained, and she smiled.

“Other than going crazy, how you holding up?” she asked, and he sighed wearily.

“Well other than that I’m just bored rigid. There’s nothing to do and I don't even have the talking of other inmates to distract me, so all I can do is listen to myself think and there’s only so much I can do of that.” He complained and she patted his hand.

“We’re looking into everything, and so is the pack. I still reckon there’s something we’re missing, it’s why the sheriff let Scott’s grandmother take the files, a fresh pair of eyes might help.” She explained, and he nodded, then looked at her curiously.

“Does she know about all this?” he asked, and Braeden shook her head.

“Not as far as I know, and Scott probably wants to keep it that way.” She said, and hesitated, but before she could do anything more with it, Derek pounced on it.

“Alright, what’s up? You’ve been off ever since you came in the door.” He challenged, and she had, ever since she had started appearing to talk to him and keep him abreast of everything that was going on in the town, she had never been as to the point as she was being tonight, and she shrugged, looking disquieted.

“I don't know, it started yesterday, just a general feeling of unease. It’s weird. Oh by the way, Jackson is back.” She told him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Other than Isaac, Jackson was the only beta he had created who was still alive, both Erica and Boyd being dead.

“Really? Since when?” he asked, and she smiled grimly.

“Since he was delivered in a crate to Lydia’s house. Yeah, he’s less than happy as you can imagine.” She said in wry amusement, and Derek let out a low whistle, yeah, he couldn't see Jackson being too happy about that happening to him.

“Who sent him?” he asked, and Braeden looked concerned.

“We don't know, it might be that woman who attacked the pack, which we’re beginning to think is a Pombero but it doesn't seem like her sort of style, she’s here for Lydia, not to play mind games. But get this, his arm is all black, like it’s poisoned, or dying or something.” She explained, and Derek frowned.

His arm had turned black? That certainly wasn’t anything human, but what on earth could have done that to him, to turn his arm black like that, he’d never heard of anything like that.

Seriously, being trapped in here was pissing him off.

“Look, there’s stuff going on that I need to help Scott with, which means I need to get out of here, otherwise I’m going to rot. Braden, there’s something going on here, this Pombero, the Scuffock, and now Jackson turning up with something wrong with his arm, all of that on top of me being framed for a murder that I might or might not have committed and can’t remember either way? Something is going on and Scott needs help!” he insisted, and she rolled her eyes.

“Derek, what do you think we’ve been doing? Marin and I have been going over everything, bending over backwards to try and get you out of here, but we can’t figure out how. I know you’re bored and going crazy, but until the police get their act in gear, you’re just going to need to suffer it like everyone else. We will get you out of here ok? The pack and us haven’t given up, we will get you out you just need to be patient! So stop giving me such a hard time because I actually am on your side!” she snapped, and he sat back in his chair, cowed and looking a little sheepish as the druid raged on the other side of the table from him.

“I know, you’re right, sorry.” He grunted, and she glared at him.

“So you should be. And for what it’s worth, we think you’re right, something’s happening, and it’s getting worse. It might all just be coincidence, but all of this happening at the same time is beginning to look a little off. Look, we know you need to get out of here, and we’re working on it. Haigh can’t take much longer, and then we can get the ball rolling on all this. So until then, give me a break ok?” she asked wearily and he smiled, nodding.

“Fair enough. Have you heard from Peter yet?” he asked, and she bit her lip, shaking her head.

“No and him being missing on top of everything else that’s starting to happen is making me worried too. Don’t worry, we will get you out of here. Even if we need to bust you out to do it, but we will get you out.” She promised, and got to her feet, visiting time clearly over for her, and Derek gave her a fed up look.

“Ok thanks. You know, you look different when you’re angry.” He teased, and she smiled a little and shot him an amused look.

“Take it from me, never try and flirt with anyone while wearing prison orange.” She advised him and with a wave she strolled from the room, leaving a grinning Derek behind.

Yeah he might be trapped in here, but having Braeden as a frequent visitor was a definite bonus. But, he mused as he looked down at himself, maybe he shouldn’t try to flirt with her until he was wearing something other than correctional facility orange.

And as he watched Braeden’s dark hair bouncing on her shoulders as she left, he briefly wondered just what was going on out there, and how on earth he was going to get out of this mess.

 

XX

 

Allegra had been right. There was something curious about all this.

For a start, Derek was being accused of four murders, and was also a person of interest in the disappearance of one Araya Callavera. By all accounts, she and her friends who had been killed apparently at Derek’s hands were no great losses, as they seemed rather unpleasant people at the best of times, with all of them at least involved in several different murder cases, but curiously, only ever as witnesses. But that didn't explain what had happened with Derek. When people appeared with such frequency as bystanders in murder cases, people started to look at them for all the wrong reasons. Four of them had been in Derek’s loft the night they had died, and had met their grisly ends there, but all four of them had been armed, and considering Derek had been wounded, it was clear the four of them had attacked in some form. That meant this entire case was a farce from the start, because as they had clearly shot at him, it was self defence, nothing more.

However, the excessive force was something that ought to be considered. True it wasn’t murder but the manner in which these attackers had died was an anomaly. Yes Derek had ripped them up, and she had no idea how he had done it, but he had certainly sustained a wound in the process. So, self defence but with excessive force, but any competent lawyer could argue that Derek had done whatever was necessary to defend himself. She remembered one case, the man had been attacked in his home, held at gunpoint while a robber had tried to strip everything of value out of the house. The owner of the house had made a move, and despite his hands being bound, had tackled him to the floor, knocking the gun away. He had then, after a vicious fight, had proceeded to rip the man’s throat out with his teeth, and had remained there until the police, which she led, had arrived. So, while the owner had committed a murder by killing the man who had threatened him, he was perfectly at liberty to do whatever possible and necessary in order to protect himself.

But, she thought grimly, that was something to consider. Self defence would get him away with one dead body, most likely two, but four was pushing it. There was no way Derek was fast enough to take down all four in one strike. Surely the other two would have tried to run, only to be stopped by Derek? But by the looks of the crime scene photos the men had all been killed where they stood.

She looked at the photos, her mind whirring as she thought out all of this. She wasn’t meant to have the photos, but a visit to the station after she had successfully embarrassed Melissa had resulted in her blackmailing a scowling John into giving her more files than she had, anything she thought might be relevant, along with five more packs of her biscuits and her bottles of wine. She was nothing if not an entrepreneur.

Then there was Derek’s memory loss. Admittedly, all of them had heard if not encountered, memory loss linked to trauma, people so shocked by what they had done, by killing other people, that they had no recollection at all of what had transpired. Derek had no memory of the men entering his apartment, let alone what had occurred afterwards. But, unlike most others, there was something about Derek’s statements, both written and recorded, that rang true with her. He literally could not remember this happening, he had no idea what had happened, and the associated loss of memory terrorised him much more than he was willing to admit. So there was that to consider.

And then there was the vigour that Haigh was pursuing this with. While she appreciated that he wanted to make Derek pay, there was also a lot more going on here than he seemed to be able to see. While John and the cute young deputy had given the case over to him, they had been looking at other options, but Haigh seemed particularly determined to get a conviction, at the cost of thoroughly analysing everything that was in front of him. She sighed wearily, no wonder this case wasn’t getting anywhere, it had gaping holes in it in some places and so much filler in others it was impossible to figure out. She knew John and Parish had had a lot on their plates recently, rebuilding the force after the attack by the swordsmen that had nearly killed Melissa too but seriously boys...

Hang on...

She pulled the file on the Hale fire closer to her, peering through her spectacles at the names of the deceased. Talia Hale and her entire family (a pity, she had liked Talia, she’d met her a few times), several other names, but one that rang a bell...

She sorted through the number of files on the table, flicking through them all until she found the records of all the police in the station (also a result of her blackmailing John, who had just sighed and admitted defeat before giving them to her). Pulling out Haigh’s, she scrutinised it, her eyes scanning the file, good test scores, leadership competency, background in arson investigation...and the name of his stepfather, one William Haigh. So, his mother had remarried at some point, yes here it was, mother married this Haigh guy just before he turned of age, and his former name was Pearson. And in the list of the deceased on the Hale fire, there was one Nadia Pearson, who, now she had found the next of kin, was clearly Haigh’s younger sister.

So, Haigh’s younger sister had been killed in the Hale house fire, and was now in charge of an investigation that could very well see Derek put to death if the judge ruled it was murder and not self defence. Yes, there was definitely a conflict of interest going on there, and that could potentially discredit everything that Haigh had thrown at Derek before now.

She nodded to herself, John would have to be told, after all, if Haigh hadn't volunteered the information there was little chance the sheriff knew of his conflict of interest. But she still couldn't help but think there was something else going on here.

She was just about to get to her feet when she heard the front door creak open.

“Melissa? You’re home early dear.” She called, getting to her feet to go and greet her daughter, catching sight of the clock as she did so.

Wait a minute, Melissa wouldn’t be home yet, it was far too early. And other than some gently footfalls, Melissa hadn't answered. Allegra frowned, the boys had practice, Isaac actually had both being on both the swim team and the lacrosse team, and having been briefed by Melissa about how overprotective of Isaac Scott was, there was little chance Scott would let Isaac come home without him.

All in all, it meant that no one was meant to be in the house.

That meant whoever was next door in the hallway was an intruder.

She strained her ears, cursing her slight loss of hearing in one ear, so she turned her head to the right so she could hear with her better ear. There was definitely something moving through there, there was a sort of shuffling noise going on. There was a padding noise, the bottom stair creaking a little before whatever was out there seemed to think better of it.

Allegra frowned, reaching around her back to find her gun. While Melissa didn't like her having the gun in the house (owing to an incident when Stiles had found it once and he and Scott had played cowboys and Indians with a real gun), she had put it on when she went out, and now, she was thinking that it was a very good thing that she hadn't taken it off.

Whatever was out there ought not to be there. Admittedly, it most likely wasn’t a person, otherwise they’d have either attacked or scarpered by now. Unless it was Scott playing a joke (he could whistle Dixie for an inheritance if he was) the thing out there shouldn’t be there. She rolled her eyes, figuring she was probably overreacting, but after having been attacked by a very antisocial possum that had strolled in the house once before, she wasn’t taking any chances. She edged forward, gun at the ready, the shuffling noise getting louder as she made her way forward. She hesitated, certain she heard a steady dripping sound too as she got closer to the hall door. Shaking her head, she raised her gun, and entered the hallway.

And then breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just a dog, a golden Labrador by the looks of it.

“Hello boy, what are you doing in here, where’s your owner?” she asked kindly, moving towards the dog, but as she got closer, she saw drops of blood covering the floor and the carpet, charting the way the dog had moved, from the ajar front door, in a circle around the entry way, to the stairs and back.

“Aww are you hurt boy, is that the matter? Don't you worry, my grandson can fix you right up...wait...” she said, looking at the front door.

The door had been shut. Years of being a police woman had ingrained that into her, you always shut the door, the better to hear it opening. The front door had been shut, she was sure of it, so how had a wounded dog managed to open the door?

The door was now open, enough for the dog to have gotten in through. Its golden tail was wagging, but Allegra looked at the door, and to her shock she spotted trickles of blood running down it, a small pool at the base of the door where the dog had clearly shoved the door open.

Something wasn’t right here.

“Come on boy, let’s have a look at you.” Allegra said, keeping a finger on the trigger as she hesitantly reached out to pet the dog’s tail.

She did so, touching it’s fur, and it seemed to stop, as if considering whether to turn around or not. And then, to her shock, it gave a vicious, snarling growl. Allegra took a step back, gun at the ready as it snarled, its body tensed, as if prepared to pounce.

And then the Labrador turned around, and Allegra screamed.

The dog had no head. The head had been cut clean off, and blood was still dripping from the wound, a jagged, shattered bone sticking out from the middle of its neck. Blood covered its golden chest, drops falling onto the floor as it inexplicably growled at her viciously, and with a monstrous bark, the headless dog pounced at her, blood splashing off of its decapitated corpse, its lethal shattered spinal column aiming right for Allegra’s stomach as she screamed.

The dog barked, shots were fired, there was a gasp, a thud...

And then there was silence, as the front door creaked, dripping with blood, with a long trail of blood heading down the garden path and into the bushes.

And within the bushes, a glowing pair of sickly yellow eyes waited, watching the house.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Allegra! Being attacked by a headless dog, and Agravaine spying on the house to boot. Just what has she stumbled onto though? Haigh has an ulterior motive, but what is it? This is what happens when you have an overworked police department
> 
> Only one chapter left for episode 2, and Peter is back next chapter, as is a groomed Jackson once again
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


	11. Episode 2: Silence Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny soothes Jackson, Scott soothes Allegra and Lydia has an encounter with Peter

Two-Pack II

 

“It looks horrible.” Danny commented, peering at Jackson’s blackened arm, noticing that a couple of black spots had appeared on his hand during the course of the day, and his best friend got up, scowling at the world through the window.

“This entire thing is horrible, I still feel unwashed!” he complained, and Danny smirked a little.

“Really? After two half hour long showers and an hour long bath? You’re cleaner than the rest of the school put together.” He said, amused, and Jackson shrugged.

His mother had been delighted to see Jackson and had immediately fussed over him, Jackson playing his part well and assuring her that he had just come for a visit, as Danny hadn't actually told anyone other than the rest of the pack that he was missing, and she had been more than happy to let Jackson stay with them for the time being. Due to her being a bit ditzy, the fact that Jackson had appeared with no clothes of his own, no wallet, no phone and no nothing had been lost on her. Danny smiled as he considered it, he loved his mom dearly, but her head was in the clouds, which suited them.

Having had one long shower before they had gone to the hospital, when they had come up, Jackson had immediately begged that he could go for another one and Danny had agreed, figuring anyone would be feeling very unclean after spending months in a box, and for someone like Jackson, it would be torture. Fortunately, Danny had found Jackson several things to wear, and when he had gone for a bath after lounging around wearing only a towel for an hour he’d gone out and bought Jackson what he deemed essentials: another couple of shirts, some jeans, shoes, underwear (fair enough, he could grant that they were essentials) and on top of that, deodorant, soap, shower gel, aftershave, a razor, and hair wax. Granting that he did at least need some of the items on the list, and figuring that if he didn't get them all he would have to deal with a Jackson-class Hissy Fit™, he had obliged, and besides, he liked shopping for that sort of stuff as well, and it let Jackson have the house to himself.

However when he had returned Jackson had been kind of jumpy, as if he was relieved that Danny had made it back safe and sound, and had immediately insisted they hang out in his room, thanking Danny (which made a change, he didn't thank most people) and now, apparently feeling a lot better than he had, now that he was dressed, was musing over the state of his arm.

“I know I just feel...dirty. I think it’s this.” Jackson said, frowning as he looked at the blackened arm, and hesitantly, Danny touched it, feeling the scalding heart coming off it.

“Yeah, that definitely isn't normal.” He said worriedly, and Jackson scowled.

“None of this is normal! I was kidnapped, I’ve been missing for three months, my arm looks like it’s dying, I feel unclean, I was shipped here basically naked, there’s some freak with glowing yellow eyes who scares the crap out of me, and to top it all off, McCall’s an Alpha!” he stormed, and Danny suppressed a small smile, he had figured that would be coming out in a tantrum sooner rather than later.

“Jackson, there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s the Alpha...oh I suppose I might as well tell you all of it, he’s the lacrosse captain too.” He told him, bracing himself, and he saw Jackson’s eyes widen in fury.

“Seriously? Don't tell me he’s swim captain on top of that?” he demanded, and oddly, Danny could see why he was a little pissed.

The three months in a crate notwithstanding, Jackson had missed everything significant, partly due to living in London and due to his kidnap, that had happened in the last few months, and as such was very behind on all the news. Waking up to find the world had changed on him had to be a bit of a blow to be honest, especially finding out that everything that had once been his, lacrosse captain, swim captain, popularity, Lydia, even him to an extent, had now all changed hands when he was out of it. And finding out Scott and Isaac were now the captains of his old teams wasn’t going to make him any happier about all this either.

“No, Isaac is.” He informed him and Jackson swore, and Danny shot him an admonishing look, he knew full well he didn't like that word, and after continuing to rant he did give him a slightly apologetic look.

“Sorry.” He muttered before scowling and looking back at the mirror.

“Look I know it’s a lot to take in Jackson, and a lot’s changed. But like it or not Scott’s the Alpha, and you’re his Beta.” He told him patiently, and Jackson scowled.

“Yeah because of Lahey which I didn't ask for! How come I get dragged down? Well I’m not doing it.” He said stubbornly, and Danny sighed.

“Jackson, you need to. He’s your Alpha which means he can make you obey, and you, being you, probably one of the only people he actually would make you obey. And besides, the twins are very loyal to him, and even usually, they could still kick your ass, so please, in the interests of everyone getting on, don't make a fuss.” He wheedled, and Jackson looked as though he was about to argue when he gave a grumpy grunt and scowled into the mirror, quietly fuming.

Danny rolled his eyes. Yeah, Jackson was his best friend, and he loved him, but still, he was a pain in the ass. He got that he wasn’t having the best of days right now, but still, he was rather high maintenance.

“Does it hurt?” Danny asked, and Jackson frowned at his arm, moving it experimentally.

“Yes and no, it kind, know how after practice your muscles are burning? It’s kind of like that, but the entire thing just feels hot, and not the sort of hot I usually am.” He said with a mere trace of a smile and Danny grinned.

“Well I’m glad to see your confidence is coming back. And admittedly you do look better.” He told him, as Jackson, with some food in him, did look a little perkier than he had the day before.

“Thanks. But this, how am I meant to hide this?” he demanded, wincing a little as he waved his arm around for emphasis.

“Melissa said she’d strap it up, so then you can still move it, it won’t be in a cast, just bandaged.” He told him, frowning a little at the pain it was causing him, and Jackson nodded, sighing in defeat.

“I can’t believe I can’t even call my parents.” He complained, and Danny patted his shoulder as he got up off the bed, hesitating a little as he looked at a photo Scott had took of him and Ethan ice skating at the lake. Ignoring it, he gave Jackson a kind look.

“I know dude, but it’s just for a while, the sheriff knows now, and Isaac said he asked Argent to head to London and let them know in person.” He explained, and Jackson gave him an odd look.

“Isaac did that?” he asked, and Danny nodded.

“Well yeah, when Isaac started hanging out with Allison before he and Scott got back together, Argent started hanging out with Isaac too, they figured out how to stop the Oni together. He keeps in contact with him, looks out for him.” He explained, but Jackson still looked shocked.

“Isaac did that for me?” he asked, stupefied, and Danny grinned.

“Well Scott kind of rubs off on everyone, and since Isaac’s sleeping with him...besides, he was looking for info on what attacked us.” He told him offhandedly, smirking at the odd look on Jackson’s face.

Jackson went quiet, as Danny’s eyes again lingered on the picture of him and Ethan, and tried hard to ignore the well of emotions in his chest when Jackson let out a cry of frustration as he stared in the mirror (which he did more than was acceptable at the best of times, just for the record).

“What now? You’re as clean as you’re going to get, you’ve got some new clothes which you look pretty good in, just as good as usual actually, Argent’s telling your parents, you’re back in Beacon Hills, and Scott is working on finding out what actually happened to you, so what’s your problem?” he demanded, vexed, and Jackson scowled at him.

“None of that, but McCall looking for answers doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. No, it’s, this! What am I supposed to do with,” he grumbled, pulling at his long hair, “this?” he demanded irritably, and Danny sighed, actually kind of relieved, that he could do something about.

“Come here.” He ordered in exasperation, and Jackson gave him a strange look and did as bid, sitting on the bed while Danny picked up the way he got him.

“It’s too long, and it was greasy.” He whined, and Danny smirked a little in amusement, yeah it wasn’t funny but he sounded so offended by it.

“Three months in a box will do that to you. Now, stop whining and I’ll fix it.” He chided and Jackson went silent as ordered as Danny, wax now on his fingers, started running his hands through his hair, Jackson enjoying the sensation despite how odd this was.

“Are you ok?” Jackson asked as Danny worked the wax into his hair.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Danny asked evasively, and Jackson glowered up at him.

“Because of what happened with Ethan. Danny I swear I didn't mean to make that happen.” He insisted, and Danny nodded dolefully.

“I know you didn't. You were looking out for me. About time someone did, I’m not a kid, if Ethan had told me...” he said, and Jackson looked at him questioningly.

“Are you saying you’d have been ok with it?” he asked softly, and Danny shrugged helplessly.

“I don't know, I mean...he and Aiden killed people, a lot of them by the sounds of it. They were involved in Erica and Boyd’s death, and they almost killed Scott. Huh guess I know why Isaac was so determined to use Ethan as a punching bag now, so that’s something. But, the fact that he kept it from me, and the others helped him...Lydia of all of them, keeping it from me when she knew full well about Aiden...” he ranted.

“Ow.” Jackson mumbled as Danny pulled on his hair a little.

“Sorry. I’m just...he killed people Jackson, before last night I thought Ethan was this sweet, adorable guy, someone I loved, but now I find out he’s had a whole other life and he was a killer, and worse, he kept it from me! I don't know how to deal with that.”

“He didn't want to upset you.” Jackson suggested and Danny snorted.

“Good job with that. He killed people, it’s not like you, you were controlled.” He justified and Jackson sent him a strange look.

“Something makes me think this Deucalion bloke didn't give them much choice buddy. They might not have been totally controlled, but they weren’t totally free either from the sounds of it.” He said gently, and Danny looked away, his eyes storming with hurt.

“Maybe. There.” He whispered, moving to the bathroom to wash his hands and Jackson considered his new hairstyle, grinning in approval.

Danny had worked his hair into a fauxhawk, and he had to admit, he liked how it looked. He ran his hand along the ridge experimentally, liking how it felt, not looking too laden with wax and flicked the front, happy with it, maybe there was benefits to his hair being longer than usual.

“Thanks dude.” He said as Danny, his face clouded, came back in and he gave him a slight smile.

“Does that mean you’ll stop whining now?” he asked hopefully, and Jackson’s only response was a glare.

Danny then picked up his phone, which had just buzzed, and he frowned.

“Lydia didn't find anything to help us figure out what happened to you, but she says she has an idea on how to find out what happened to us.” He read aloud, and Jackson looked at him curiously.

“The old Jedi lady?” Jackson asked, and Danny nodded, frowning.

“Yeah, her. Come on.” He told him, and Jackson looked at him in confusion.

“Where?” he asked in shock, and Danny looked at him as if he were being dim on purpose.

“Lydia’s. Whatever she’s got in mind, that woman was after her, so if she’s going out she might be in danger. And since she dumped Aiden, she doesn't have a bodyguard anymore...mind you, he’s been more interested in protecting Scott recently anyway.” He mused to himself as he got to his knees in front of Jackson, clutching under the bed.

“Yeah fair enough, but I’m kind of under developed at the moment, I’m not back to fighting strength.” He commented, and Danny gave him a deadly smile.

“That’s what this is for.” He said, revealing a large cattle prod looking thing from under the bed, which crackled with electricity as he turned it on.

“Something else I missed?” Jackson asked, amused, and Danny smiled.

“Oh yeah.” He said, revealing a bow and quiver of arrows from under the bed too and grinned at the shocked look on Jackson’s face.

“When did you guys become badass?” he demanded, and Danny grinned.

“A while back. Coming?” he asked perkily, and an astounded Jackson watched in shock as Danny pulled on a leather jacket, pulled on the quiver, anchored the box around it, and slid the prodder into the back of his trousers.

He then threw Jackson a red leather jacket (a gift from Ethan, but he wasn’t thinking about that) and beckoned his astounded best friend out the door.

 

XX

 

“Um sheriff?” Haigh called from his position at the desk as the sheriff and Parish (his favourite apparently) talked in low voices about the Hale case.

“Yeah?” he asked, and he slid a piece of paper to him.

“Isn't that the McCall house? There’s been shots fired.” He said, and the sheriff had a strange look of foreboding on his face as he and Parish both looked at the address.

“That’s their house alright. But how can there be shots fired, the kids are at school and Melissa’s at the hospital.” Parish said in confusion, and it suddenly clicked in John’s head.

“Allegra!” he exclaimed and with that the two of them rushed out of the station, bound for the McCall house.

 

XX

 

“Ha!” Stiles exclaimed joyously as the entire group sat around eating burgers after their workout session.

Scott, who was considering his burger (in other words whether or not to eat the gherkin) looked up.

“What’s up?” he asked, and Stiles grinned.

“Only me being a genius as usual. Remember how I hacked into the police system so I get an alert on my phone every time something happens?” he asked brightly, and Kira grinned in amusement.

“You mean the thing that if you get caught doing, we hang you out to dry?” she asked brightly, and Liam grinned at her as he ate his chicken burger.

Stiles shot her a bemused look, while Garrett, who was finishing his chips, looked at them curiously.

“Um, why do you want to know every time there’s a police alert?” he asked, and Liam looked up, also curious of the answer.

Aiden looked at Scott in slight alarm, as if silently asking how they were going to get out of this one, and Scott slid his fingers tensely along the table in panic. His wolf instincts were kicking in, he wanted to protect his pack from these unwanted questions. For goodness sake, surely that wouldn’t kick it off, there was nothing threatening, Garrett was just curious. Isaac was looking at him worriedly, fearing what could happen if they weren’t careful, but he needn’t have worried, now Stiles had made up with him, there was nothing to worry about.

“Garrett...cards on the table. I’m a nosey bastard, I can’t not know what’s going on.” Stiles informed him and Garrett grinned at Liam, Scott relaxing, accepting this as kosher, to everyone’s great relief.

“And his dad works there.” Ethan supplied helpfully, making Liam look at Stiles curiously.

“What’s going on then?” he asked, nodding towards the phone in his hand.

“Well I keep hacking into it, but Parish,”

“The cute deputy.” Ethan interjected helpfully, earning him an odd look from Garrett and Liam.

“Keeps blocking me out,” Stiles continued, though he looked as though he was admitting that Ethan had a point, “but he hasn’t blocked this new one out yet. So, what’s the current crisis in Beacon Hills, any bets?” he asked hopefully.

“Car jacking.” Liam suggested hopefully, eating his chips.

“Burglary...of that cafe Isaac works in, some smart git behind the counter sold the cake I wanted.” Kira complained with a pout, Liam cocking his head at her in sympathy, and Isaac sighed, looking at her apologetically.

“I said I was sorry, how was I to know you wanted that cake, I’d have kept it for you otherwise. Murder.” He suggested cynically, which to be fair was a fairly reasonably guess in this town.

“Arson.” Aiden chipped in, looking a little too excited at the prospect, making Scott and Stiles give him a slightly concerned look, Scott silently vowing never to let him near a naked flame if he could help it.

“Bestiality....what?” Ethan asked as everyone sent him an odd look.

“Drug deal going down.” Was Garrett’s guess, and Stiles shook his head.

“Nah, we’re quite good for drugs here.” He told him, and Garrett frowned thoughtfully.

“I wonder where the boys in the orphanage are getting their stuff then.” He mused quietly, and Scott turned to ask him what he meant by that when Stiles’ face went white.

“Uh oh...” he said worriedly, and Isaac looked up nervously as he finished the last bite of his burger.

“What, was I right?” he asked pessimistically, but Stiles shook his head.

“Um, no, it’s just...someone reported shots had been fired, in your house dude.” Stiles told Scott worriedly, and Scott’s eyes widened as he looked at him in shock.

“What, someone’s firing a gun at my house? Who, why?” he asked, standing up, the last third of his burger uneaten.

“Yeah, you two are here, and your mom’s at work, dad had a budget meeting with her today.” Liam supplied, but Aiden gave Scott a worried look.

“Isn't your grandma in town?” he asked, and Scott and Isaac exchanged an alarmed look before dashing out of the restaurant, leaving the others looking worriedly after them as the twins tried to stuff as much food as they could into their mouths as they followed the ones they had appointed themselves bodyguards of.

 

XX

 

“Here you go mom, a hot water bottle for you.” Melissa said kindly, passing it to her mother as she quivered in the armchair.

“Is it filled with gin?” she asked weakly as Scott patted her hand sympathetically, and Melissa shook her head.

“Sorry mom, no. But this is.” She said brightly, passing her a glass and the bottle.

Allegra surveyed the two in her hands, gave the glass to Scott, screwed the top off the gin and simply drank from the bottle, and Isaac shrugged at an astounded Scott, after all, she probably needed it.

Having blazed across town, they had found her covered in the blood of a headless dog corpse with the sheriff and Parrish both trying to calm her down. Melissa had arrived not long later, the sheriff having alerted her to the fact that there were shots fired in the house, and now Allegra was getting back to something remotely resembling calm again.

The twins were currently circling the entire block, trying to get some vague hint of what and where the headless dog had come from, but so far they had had no luck, only a slight smell of sulphur that seemed to be permeating the area. The two of them were currently standing outside making sure nothing else attempted to get into the house.

The headless corpse was in the hall, riddled with every single bullet Allegra had had in her gun, which had finally seemed to stop the whatever it was. Blood had splattered up the wall, leaving Allegra a quivering mess as the decapitated corpse slid to a stop in front of her, finally stopped. The sheriff and Parrish had arrived a little later, calming her hysteria and managing to get her to function again.

“And here you thought the two murders were a coincidence.” Parrish said dryly as they examined the corpse of the dog, and the sheriff looked at him in alarm.

“Wait, are you telling me this is the same dog that was killed?” he demanded, and Parrish nodded.

“Yep, same one, he had a claw missing from his back leg, it’s him alright.” He told the sheriff grimly, and John bit down a curse.

“Wait a minute, are you telling me that those two kids were killed because someone wanted to kill their dog?” he demanded angrily, and Parrish merely shrugged, but the expression on his face told the sheriff that he believed that at least.

Well that was a new one. Great.

“You ok grandma?” Scott asked frantically, he couldn't believe it, after everything, trying to keep her safe from the supernatural and from everything crappy in their lives, it had attacked her, and she had been lucky to escape with her life, and it was still a miracle that she hadn't been killed by the damn thing in the first place.

Allegra looked at him in shock, her face still very white, holding her hot water bottle to her as she drained another glass of gin.

“Scott, I just got attacked by a headless dog. This dog had no head, was able to growl, has blood everywhere and is currently lying dead in the hall. A dog without a head should be dead, and it attacked me! I’m not even in the same bloody state as alright! Oh great, I’m seeing double now on top of everything else.” She cried in despair as the twins entered the room.

“After the amount of straight gin you just downed I’m not surprised.” Melissa said, patting her mother’s shoulder to calm her.

“No, they’re the twins, they’re friends of ours. Aiden’s the one with spiky hair, Ethan’s the other one.” Isaac explained as the two beckoned him and Scott over.

“Oh hello boys. Have you got something stronger than gin on you?” she asked hopefully and they shook their heads.

“No, sorry.” Ethan said kindly and she sagged a little in her seat as the sheriff came back in to talk to her.

“How is she doing?” Ethan asked outside in the hallway as John asked her about what happened, and Scott frowned.

“About as good as she’s going to get any time soon. But I reckon one of the attending officers helped calm her down.” He said with a small smile, as Parrish, who had been frowning beside the corpse of the dog, went a little pink and went back to what he was doing.

“Can’t blame her.” Ethan muttered, and Isaac nodded, it was a fair point.

“Anything?” Isaac asked, casting worried glances at Allegra, who wasn’t shaking as much now but she still looked shell shocked.

“Nothing, only that kind of cloud of sulphur, but that could just be someone cooking eggs or someone with gas.” Aiden said, sounding disappointed, rubbing his hand through his spiky hair worriedly.

“Do you have any idea what this thing is?” Parrish asked hopefully, but Scott shook his head.

“None, other than headless dog zombie. Poor grandma.” He said, looking at the poor animal.

“Poor dog, being made into that.” Isaac said sadly, looking at the corpse.

“There’s no way this is a coincidence. It can’t be.” Ethan told Scott, and his Alpha nodded darkly, his eyes smouldering.

“Agreed. I think we need to find out what happened to Jackson, because everything kicked off when he appeared last night. We need answers.” He told them, but Aiden bit his lip in thought, his brow furrowed.

“Yeah but how? I mean he can’t remember, what if it’s whoever’s framing Derek that’s behind this?” he asked, and that was a good point, but Scott shook his head slowly.

“I don't think so, they wouldn’t have waited so long, but there’s no way that it isn't all connected somehow. Jackson might know more than he says.” He considered, and Isaac and Aiden’s faces lit up.

“Ooh, can we interrogate him? Please!” Aiden begged happily, Isaac nodding eagerly.

“Yeah, we won’t hurt him...much.” he promised and Scott shot him an amused look.

“No you can’t, but let’s leave that till tomorrow. Now...” he said, figuring he should forewarn them but before he could, Isaac looked into the living room then at him nervously.

“Sweetie, can I make a suggestion you won’t like?” he asked shyly, and struck by his hesitancy, he cocked his head at Isaac, nodding for him to continue.

“Well, I reckon you should tell her. Everything, right now.” He told him and Scott’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you crazy? Tell grandma the supernatural exists?” he demanded incredulously, and Ethan looked at Allegra then shrugged.

“Sorry dude but she’s already kind of clued in being attacked by a decapitated dog zombie.” He told him, which did kind of take the wind out of Scott’s sails, and Aiden nodded.

“And believe it or not, Lydia and I did actually talk when we were together...before she dumped me for no apparent reason,” he complained bitterly, the others wincing, “but when she had Peter hijacking her, you guys not telling her everything kind of made it all worse. I reckon they’re right, not telling her will just make it worse for her, she needs to know.” He told him, and Isaac nodded.

“Yeah, you guys kind of dropped the ball with Lydia.” He told him and Scott glowered at him.

“Yeah well you were worshipping the ground Derek walked on at the time, we both made mistakes.” He bitched back and Isaac grinned a little.

“Yeah, but then I found a new Alpha, one far younger, far sexier, and probably more powerful too.” He said in a playful voice and Scott deflated, this is why you didn't sleep with your betas, they had too much power over you, they could defuse you when you didn't want defused.

“Cute though you guys are, he’s right. She should know.” Ethan advised and Scott harrumphed.

“But...”

“She took you being gay well.” Isaac pointed out, and Scott threw his hands in the air in disbelief.

“Oh yeah, because they’re similar! By the way grandma, know how I’m sleeping with Isaac? I’m also a werewolf who’s the boss of Isaac! Yeah, that’ll go over well.”

“I reckon they’re right Scott, she’d be better knowing. If only so she can process this better. Admittedly, for a cop it’s a pain in the ass because you start wondering how many cases were related to the supernatural, but she was just attacked by a headless dog zombie. That’s a lot for anyone not clued in to take in.” Parrish advised quietly from behind him, and Scott sighed, knowing they were right, and they had hurt Lydia more by not telling her and he didn't want to do that to his grandmother.

“Ok. You’re right.” He admitted, and the three betas nodded just as there was a knock at the door.

Oh crap.

“Scott?” Deaton asked, poking his head around the door.

There were three menacing growls, and Scott had to physically restrain Aiden from leaping on the vet, his blue eyes glowing and claws growing as he struggled to get to the vet, and Ethan and Isaac looked as though they were also considering leaping on him. Admittedly, none of them had any reason to like him. In addition to keeping stuff from them, to Isaac he was behind the sacrifice that allowed Stiles to be possessed in the first place and was also the guiding force behind his and Scott’s break up, and to the twins he was the one who was content to let Aiden die and hadn't even offered any suggestions when he had been fighting for his life.

“Aiden, stop it! Down boy!” Scott growled, eyes flashing red, and while Aiden growled and bowed his head, retreating, his eyes and claws remained wolfish.

“Wow you really are popular.” Parrish commented idly, wondering if they charged what he would do, considering the sheriff and Melissa blamed him for what had happened to Stiles, he’d probably let the twins have him.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Isaac demanded angrily, golden eyes glaring at Scott.

“He’s here because I asked him here. As Argent is on the move, I need to know what the hell attacked grandma, and I don't have time to wait for him, so he’s the next choice. Now, all three of you, go and stand with grandma. Now.” He intoned, eyes flashing red, and the twins snarled angrily at Deaton before turning into the living room.

Isaac gave Deaton a last unpleasant look which he then shot at Scott (yeah he figured he was going to pay for bringing Deaton here) before he followed them into the living room.

“He so much as breathes funny, rip his head off.” He commanded the twins, just loud enough for Deaton to hear.

“With pleasure.” The twins said in unison, Ethan slamming the door behind them as Scott sighed, releasing the stress before he turned to his boss.

“Sorry about that, but as you can see, you’re still not their favourite person.” He admitted lamely, and Parrish nodded, his face concerned.

“No kidding.” He commented, giving the door an apprehensive look.

Deaton nodded sagely, looking slightly apologetic.

“I know that Scott, and I know that I didn't do myself any favours with the three of them, but I was doing what I thought was best. Obviously I got it wrong.” He admitted and Scott grinned a little.

“Well maybe now you can earn redemptive brownie points by telling me what this is.” He told him, pointing to the zombie and Deaton gave him a grim smile.

“I doubt it’ll do anything for my standing with them but I’ll give it a try. It attacked your grandmother?” he asked curiously, inspecting the corpse as the other two watched intently.

“Yeah, no idea why.” Scott complained, and Deaton nodded.

“At a guess, I’d say she disturbed it from whatever it was meant to be doing here. I sincerely doubt it would have been ordered to attack her alone. I expect it was here for something to do with you.” Deaton mused looking it over, and Parrish looked at the thing.

“It’s the one that was hit in the murder wasn’t it?” he asked, and Deaton nodded.

“Yes it’s the same dog. Perhaps the murderer killed those boys simply to create this.” He theorised, and Scott snarled, seriously, killing two young guys just to kill their dog, which was bad enough in and of itself? That was a new low even for this town.

“What is it, that’s what I want to know.” Scott said impatiently, and Parrish looked at him with a bemused expression.

“I’d rather know how she killed it, something makes me think there’ll be more of them.” He said grimly, and Deaton nodded.

“You’re most likely right. Your grandmother was very lucky, one of her bullets ripped down its spinal cord, which severed whatever was keeping it animated. As to what it is Scott, I can’t tell you.” He said grimly, and Scott growled.

“Oh no you don't, you’re not doing that. From now on, you tell us what we want to know, when we want to know it, not when you think we should find out!” he commanded, his eyes flashing red and Deaton stood up to his full height, looking Scott in the eye, his expression furious.

“Scott I am your boss...”

“Not here you’re not. Here, I’m the Alpha whose job it is to protect the town, and I’m fed up of doing it with second hand information, so tell me what this damned thing is!” He growled menacingly, Alpha power crackling off him and Deaton looked as if he seriously wanted to retort back, but decided against it with great difficulty, his face a mixture of suppressed rage and bristling resentment.

“Scott...”

“Now!” Scott commanded angrily, and Deaton, beaten, bowed his head, grunted in anger and nodded.

“I would if I could, I don't know what it is, I have several theories though, but I need to study it more thoroughly before I’ll be sure. As soon as I am, I’ll call you.” He said in a voice of forced calm, and Scott’s eyes returned to normal, simmering down.

“Ok. Thank you.” Scott said softly, and Deaton nodded before turning to Parrish.

“Can I take it?” he asked, and Parrish, who had watched the exchange with interest, nodded.

“Sure, it’s not as if we can do anything about it. Good luck.” He said and Deaton nodded, picking up the corpse.

“I’m sorry it’s just...I’m fed up of you knowing more than you let on, because all it does is get people I care about hurt. Even you, remember with Julia?” Scott asked, and Deaton hesitated at the door.

“I know. I swear I’ll call as soon as I confirm what it is.” He said, not meeting Scott’s eyes then swept from the house without a further word.

“That was fun.” Parrish commented, and Scott nodded, eyes narrowed.

There was something he was missing about Deaton but what?

“Yeah. And now I get to ruin grandma’s day even more.” He said, and Parrish clapped his shoulder kindly and followed him into the living room.

“I want to know what the hell attacked me Melissa, headless dogs aren't meant to get into house where the door is shut, they’re not even meant to exist!” Allegra snapped angrily, and she was now on her feet.

“Grandma...” Scott began, and she looked at her grandson in shock.

“You all saw it! I know it sounds like I’m crazy, I feel like I’m crazy, but there is a headless dog out there that attacked me! I want to know what on earth is going on! Or am I going totally crazy?” she asked helplessly, looking at Melissa, a subtle smell of fear coming off of her, and Scott walked over and gave her a hug.

“You’re not going mad grandma. Believe me, we want to know what that thing was too. But you’re not crazy, it does exist. We don't know what it is yet, but it does exist. That thing, well that’s just the latest in a long list of fresh hells that call this town home.” He explained, and she took a step back suspiciously while Melissa looked at Isaac, conducting a silent conversation with him, and his nod was all she needed to understand what was going on.

Her mother was about to join the chessboard.

“What are you talking about?” Allegra asked, her eyes narrowed, as if wondering if he was simply humouring her, and Scott gave her a helpless sigh.

“The supernatural exists grandma, and that’s just something we haven’t met before. Oh here goes, please don't hate me...” he said, and the entire room held its breath as he turned his eyes red and looked nervously at Allegra.

Allegra was quiet for a moment as she observed her red eyed grandson, his fangs and claws slowly extending and the entire room watched with bated breath, waiting for her reaction, and finally she found her voice.

“Well dear...that’s rather impressive. Do I get an explanation or is this, just a thing to need to live with?” she croaked, and Scott grinned, ignoring the smug smile Isaac had on his face.

He hated it when he was right.

 

XX

 

After Scott, Isaac and the twins abrupt departure, Kira had checked her phone to see she had received a text from Lydia. After being assured by Stiles that Scott’s grandmother was alright, and having spent the last few minutes watching Liam and Garrett have an almost silent argument that involved a lot of looks at her for some reason which made Liam blush, she was quite glad of the excuse to leave, but had also been pleased by Liam’s offer to walk her to her car, which made Garrett smile proudly as he did it. After bidding him goodbye, leaving him blushing behind her for some odd reason, she had come to Lydia’s, and had been greeted by Lydia, dressed in a floral dress.

“He’s back.” She told her, and Kira looked at her in confusion.

“Who is?” she asked, completely thrown by this pronouncement.

“Peter.” Lydia told her before beckoning her into the house, and a shocked Kira lingered on the doorstep for a moment before following her friend into the house.

“How do you know that, when did he come back?” she demanded, and Lydia shrugged as she made herself some tea.

“I have no idea, I just got this feeling, it’s like I heard him talking to me, his smug self assured voice, he’s here, he’s back, I know he is.” She told her, and Kira shook her head, yeah, Lydia might not want trained but she needed a handle on this thing of hers and quickly.

“Ok...forgetting the fact that you now seem to be linked to him, what’s that got to do with us?” she asked, and Lydia looked at her, her face frustrated.

“Peter is the one who made me into a banshee Kira. Ever since he bit me and left me for dead, I’ve been hooked up to the supernatural control computer, and it’s so annoying! I have no idea what I am, who I am half the time, and usually I just stumble along finding dead bodies, and I’m sick of it. Now there’s some new threat in town which thrashed everyone I care about, and guess what? It’s here for me. So, once and for all, there are going to be some answers. I want to know everything, and I’m starting with him.” She hissed in vexation, and Kira bit her lip worriedly.

It wasn’t as if she was bothered with Lydia finding anything out, far from it. The sooner she got more information on who and what she was, the happier they would all be. But the thought of interrogating Peter for that information, Satan in a v-neck himself, well that just didn't sit well with her at all.

“Um, is that a good idea? I get that you’re pissed off, but is talking to Peter a good idea? Isn't he like the big bad?” she asked, and Lydia smiled coldly.

“Not since Derek ripped his throat out, he’s only a little bad. And he did this to me, and he knows a lot more than he’s telling. So, I’m getting answers.” She said, heading for the door, Kira on her heels.

“What about Martagh, can’t you just ask her?” she asked hopefully, and Lydia scoffed.

“Oh yeah trust the weird Dumbledore lady who appeared after the horse has bolted? No, I’m asking Peter, I’m not sold on this Martagh woman. Besides, he’s been missing since before Allison died, I want to know where he was. And why I’m suddenly connected with him.” She said darkly, slipping on her shoes and Kira sighed helplessly, there was clearly no arguing with her.

“That’s why you called me isn't it? I’m your backup.” She asked, slightly amused, and Lydia gave her an innocent look.

“Hardly, I just wondered if you wanted to hang out.” She said, her red lips pursed to stop her smiling and Kira grinned.

“I wasn’t born yesterday. Alright fine, we’ll take my car, my sword’s in there anyway.” She said, and Lydia grinned smugly as she followed her friend out of the door.

And to their great surprise, they found Danny, wearing his bow and arrow and with a cattle prod in his trousers and Jackson, clad in a red leather jacket with his hair in a fauxhawk, waiting for them.

“What are you two doing here?” Kira asked in shock and Lydia sighed in annoyance.

“When I told you I had an idea, it didn't mean come and poke your noses in.” She complained, and Jackson grinned maddeningly at her.

“Yeah well, since you dumped Aiden, you’re down a bodyguard, so here we are, as he’s apparently become Robin Hood while I was away.” He said, jerking a thumb towards a grinning Danny.

“I don't need a bodyguard, Kira can kick both your asses any day, that’s why I asked you here. Besides, what good will you be, since you’re terrified of all Hale wolves?” Lydia asked with a slight smile and Jackson gave her a cocky grin.

“That was before I knew about what was really going on, I reckon if McCall can be an Alpha, the others have all kind of had a spectacular burn out. Besides, what are you going to do, scream and stomp your foot?” he asked, his eyes amused, and she gave him a sultry, deadly look.

“Oh...like you do when you don't get your way?” she retaliated, and he went a little red, and Danny rolled his eyes.

“Ok, I know you two have a whole load of leftover sexual tension but really? What’s your plan Lydia?” he asked, and Kira waved her hand airily.

“Oh nothing too strenuous, just interrogate Peter Hale for answers that Martagh will probably give her without the death threat.” She explained, and Danny looked at Lydia in shock.

“He’s back?” he demanded, and she nodded grimly.

“Yeah, he’s back. Don’t ask me how I know, that’s one of the questions I’m going to ask him. You up for it?” she asked hopefully, and Jackson looked at her incredulously.

“Seriously, that’s your idea? Just bang on his door and demand answers?” he asked sniffily, clearly less than impressed but Lydia ignored him, she was short on patience, time and options, and she wanted answers.

“Have you told Scott he’s back?” Danny asked, but to their surprise, it was Kira who shook her head.

“Better not, he’s got his own crisis tonight, dealing with whatever happened to his grandma, she’s fine though. No, we’ll be enough. Are you two coming or what?” she asked, and Jackson nodded.

“Yeah. I’m Jackson by the way.” He said with a self assured grin and she cocked her head at him.

“I’m Kira. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard of you...nothing good though.” She commented and he spluttered a little in indignation as Lydia and Danny sniggered, following the kitsune to the car.

 

XX

 

The four teenagers were standing outside the door to Derek’s loft, which none of them had been in since he had been arrested for murder. Now caught up on these events, Jackson was giving the door a look of trepidation, while Danny had one hand on his cattle prod and Kira had hers on her sword as a nervous Lydia, her heart hammering, knocked on the door, committing herself.

“This is a bad idea.” Jackson muttered into Lydia’s ear, and she scowled at him.

“Oh, this coming from you? You who dumped me because you thought I screwed up you becoming a werewolf, which you actively wanted to be in the first place because you didn't like Scott being better than you at lacrosse?” she hissed back and Kira turned to him in shock.

“Seriously, you wanted to become a werewolf so you would be better at lacrosse?” she demanded, and Danny grinned.

“No, he wanted to be a werewolf because he didn't like Scott being better than him and getting all the attention.” He said, and Kira just shot Jackson a perplexed look, shaking her head.

“My mom always said boys and werewolves were asses. You’re both.” She muttered and Jackson turned to glare at her.

“Hey you don't get to judge me! Who are you anyway?” he demanded angrily and Kira turned back to face him just as the door slid open revealing Peter Hale, clad in a v-neck as usual, whose eyes flicked over them curiously and then he allowed himself a small smug smile.

“Well, if it isn't some Girl Scouts selling cookies. What can I do for you?” he asked, and Lydia glared at him.

“I want answers.” She told him boldly, and he smirked.

“And you were afraid to come alone? Where’s your little hunter friend, she was your bodyguard last time?” he asked callously, and Lydia glared at him.

“She’s dead.” She told him bluntly.

Whatever answer Peter had expected, that clearly hadn't been it. He took a step back in slight shock, which Lydia used to force her way into the apartment, the other three on her heels as he wrapped his head around this information. So, the little huntress was dead. While he couldn't deny that wouldn’t make things slightly easier, and was rather well deserved considering what the Argents had done to his family, well, it was unexpected.

“When?” he asked curiously, and Lydia swirled to face him.

“Just after you vanished actually. The Oni killed her.” She explained, and he processed this quietly, well that was certainly interesting.

“Well as it was clearly nothing to do with me, even though I get blamed for everything around here, I have to wonder why you’re here.” He said in malicious interest, his eyes glinting as he approached Lydia, and the sound of the cattle prod activating, making him turn around and regard Danny by surprise as he levelled the prod at him.

“Well, someone has grown some balls in my absence. As you brought the cavalry, I suppose you want something?” Peter asked, still keeping a suspicious eye on Danny’s prod, and Lydia nodded.

“I want answers. For everything for once, no messing about or my highly strung friend over there,” she said nodding at Jackson, “my ninja friend here,” she indicated Kira, “and my archer friend over there are all going to make your day take a turn for the worse.” Lydia vowed with a confidence she didn't really feel, which Peter must have figured out because all he did was laugh.

“Oh that is precious, our resident little Disney princess has brought her woodland friends to come and help her deal with the big bad wolf. And why would I want to help you? What’s in it for me? See, I might not have been here but I know Derek is currently in prison for four murders which means he can’t make me play ball, and I will never be Scott’s beta even if he is a true Alpha, so you really have no capital to trade with my little pet.” Peter purred, and Kira smiled innocently at him.

“Really? See, Danny has his prod, and I have my sword, and both of us wouldn’t be adverse to poking you with it.”

“And not in the good way.” Danny quipped, earning him a surprised look from the others.

“Look she wants answers, because whatever you did to make her a banshee is now putting her in danger.” Jackson growled, his claws extended and eyes glowing blue and Peter turned and favoured him with a small smile.

“And you’re back Jackson...how nice. I wonder, what could make you want to come back here from your comfortable life in London?” Peter asked, his eyes searching Jackson for the answer.

He of course already knew the answer, after all, Jackson was integral to his plan, but they didn't need to know that. He also knew full well what Agravaine had done to his arm...and how long Jackson had left to live, well, roughly anyway.

“I felt a bit boxed in.” Jackson answered seamlessly, and Peter had to suppress the urge to snort in amusement, he was good, there was no denying that.

“Look, we need help. Something is after me!” Lydia declared, bringing Peter’s attention back to her, careful not to betray anything.

The Ghost Pack, as far as he knew, hadn't made a move yet, and they wouldn’t move against Lydia actively, she would only be collateral damage, so what was she talking about?

“How typically teenage, the world doesn't revolve around you, you know.” Peter chided and she glowered at him.

“I’m not being teenage. This thing, whatever it is, wants to kill me. According to the Scuffock that appeared claiming she’s here to train me,” she ranted, but Peter held up a hand, genuinely curious now.

“A Scuffock? Here?” he asked, and Kira nodded, looking at him suspiciously.

“Yes, why, do you know something about it?” she asked, her sword following him as he prowled the room.

Peter smiled in self satisfaction, yes, the news that a Scuffock was in town wasn’t necessarily a problem, in fact, played right, it was an opportunity.

“Anyway, as I was saying, this Scuffock says that whatever is after me is the natural predator of the banshee, which, seeing as you were nice enough to turn me into one, you can tell me if you know anything about!” Lydia demanded, and Peter mused on this before he fixed Lydia with an unaffected glance.

“First of all, I didn't turn you into one, you already were one, all I did was...speed up the process a little bit. So, something is in town that’s the natural enemy of a banshee? And your new Scuffock friend doesn't know what it is I take it?” he asked, which did make sense, after all, Scuffocks were Celtic creatures, originating from Britain, this natural predator was from South America, Argentina usually.

“No, all she knows is it’s the natural predator of a banshee. It came down and stomped all of us, stealing our voices as she went. I want to know what is so we can stop it.” Lydia said, her explanation all but confirming what he needed to identify this creature.

A Pombero, like he had thought. Yes they were natural predators of the banshee, but surely Lydia was too young a banshee to be bothered with yet? After all, she was still quite new to her powers, and if a Scuffock was here to train her, then she had only just registered on the world stage, much akin to her Alpha.

Either way, the Pombero being in town was something he could do without. Truth be told she shouldn’t interfere with his plans, especially if she was focusing on Lydia, but that didn't mean she wouldn’t be a hindrance rather than a help. And a Scuffock being in town, they were powerful opponents, and if this one was here to train Lydia then she was clearly one of the stronger ones, masters usually were.

It was an anomaly. But as with everything else, it was one he could turn to his advantage.

“So you came here wanting to know exactly what it is that’s looking for you I take it?” he asked, and Lydia nodded.

“Yeah, and learning how I knew that you were back in town wouldn’t go amiss either. And this Scuffock, basically, I want the skivvy on everything to do with being a banshee. I’m fed up of flailing around in the dark, seriously fed up, and I’m through finding bodies! I need to know.” Lydia demanded, fire crackling from her, and Jackson glowered at him.

“Yeah, and you might explain where you were while we’re at it, since you mysteriously vanished.” He growled, and Peter hesitated a little.

No, he couldn't know, he’d have done something already if he figured out he had been with the Ghost Pack while Agravaine had been pumping him for every little bit of information he could get out of him. No, he was safe in that regard, he couldn't know.

Yes he could make this work to his advantage.

“And why on earth would I tell you all this?” he asked, ignoring the other three armed pack members and focusing solely on Lydia.

“You made me into a banshee, and I need help. Please!” Lydia begged, and he wondered how far he should take this, after all, Lydia would also be useful.

“Fine. You sensed when I got back to town because I bit you. It’s like how when Derek was the Alpha, Isaac, Erica and Boyd would be able to know where he was, it acts as a homing beacon, to let you find your Alpha. Scott has it to an extent, but it’s a little harder for his betas as they’re all adopted, if he were to bite one himself they would know automatically where their Alpha was. As I bit you, I technically became your Alpha, so, as your powers grow, you will be able to sense where I am.” He explained, and she seemed fairly content with that explanation, and now that he had explained that, it was time for the fun to begin.

“Great, so you’re on my radar. And the rest?” Lydia demanded, her tone brisk, and Peter smiled.

“See Lydia, what you need to ask yourself is why I would give a narcisstic little teenager information that she really wants when she has the ability to get me something that I really want.” He purred, and her eyes widened in slight alarm, and judging by the looks of incomprehension, the others had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

“Lydia, what does he mean?” Kira asked curiously, her sword now hanging loosely at her side, and the banshee glared at the wolf, who smirked at her impotence.

“Never mind. You know I’ll never do that.” She ground out to Peter, her eyes blazing as she leaned in close to him, and he chuckled, extending a couple of claws and stroking them through some of her hair, ignoring the snarl Jackson made behind him.

“Then we have a problem don't we? See, you have the ability to get me what I want. I have the knowledge and the ability to get you what you want, and not just the information, no, I know how to help you find something other than the bodies. So what will it be Lydia? Information and power in exchange for one little meeting?” he asked her softly, his soft voice blaring in her ears, as if he had her hypnotised.

Behind him the other three were poised to act, but she then shoved him away from her, glowering at him in disgust.

“I’ll never do that.” She vowed, and he smiled, raising his hands in defeat.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t tell you what you need to know.” He lamented, and she shook her head in impotent rage.

“You’re a bastard Peter.” She hissed, and he smiled.

“It has been said. So, you’re sure about your choice? You won’t do it?” he asked, and Danny, who had now drawn his bow and had an arrow pointed at Peter, looked at Lydia frantically.

“What the hell is he talking about?” he demanded, and realising she was beaten, Lydia gave Peter a final look of disgust.

“Never mind. Forget it.” She snarled, and swept from the room, leaving the other three looking at each other in shock, though to their credit Danny and Kira were keeping their weapons trained on Peter.

“It’ll happen eventually Lydia! And you have to ask yourself, can this Scuffock truly tell you everything? Does she really know everything?” he called as she swept away in a fury, her three bodyguards giving him a last look of disgust before slamming the door shut behind them.

Peter smiled as they left.

It had begun.

 

XX

 

Scott put the last of the bloodstained rags in the bucket outside the house, feeling relieved. His grandmother was now officially on the chessboard, and, to their surprise, had coped with the news about the supernatural rather well. After having been attacked by a headless dog zombie, he supposed her mind had been rather more open than it would have been previously. As a result, with frequent interruptions from the twins, Isaac, his mother, the sheriff and Parrish, Allegra was now on the chessboard, and was clued in on everything that had happened up till that point.

Well, he hoped she was. After explaining about Peter, she had asked for them to stop and let her go to bed while she got her mind around it all, which they had agreed to. He looked up at the room where she was staying, hearing her heartbeat if he strained. It was slightly excited, but considering the day she had had, and the gin she had consumed, he wasn’t surprised. He frowned worriedly, he just hoped that the initial acceptance she had shown would last till morning. It was a lot to take in, for anyone who hadn't known about it beforehand. And to be fair, she had nearly been killed by a headless dog zombie, she had had one hell of an introduction to it all, his mother’s had been much tamer, well, other than watching him get shot by Matt. His grandmother’s had been a lot worse, and to him, the thing that was making it worse was that they still didn't know exactly what had attacked her. Deaton had texted and said he was doing a last few tests and would have a certain answer in the morning, but still, he didn't like that he’d had to involve her in all this. His mother learning about all this had been bad enough, and he remembered that time when she would barely look at him, when she had encouraged him to let Gerard do what he wanted just to try and maintain the illusion of normalcy. Was it so wrong wanting his grandmother to remain separate from it?

But she was involved in it now, whether he liked it or not. He just hoped she really was coping with it, and wasn’t seriously freaking out up there behind closed doors.

“Hello.” A voice said behind him as he considered her room.

Scott struggled to prevent himself from turning around with claws out and eyes glowing the woman’s voice had given him such a fright. Digging his nails into his palm to make sure they weren’t claws, he turned to find himself face to face with a woman who looked to be around the same age as his grandmother. She had a slightly weathered face which still managed to look fairly youthful, and she had medium length curly light blond hair, and piercing brown eyes. She laughed slightly, patting his arm.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.” She said in amusement, and he breathed heavily, waving her off.

“It’s ok, you just made me need to change my pants. Can I help?” he asked, and she smiled, looking up and down the road.

“Well, I hope so. I do. You see, me and my friends are new in town, and we were just wondering if you could give us some clue as to where the vet surgery is?” she asked hopefully, and he smiled.

“Sure, I work there, it’s just off Cedar Street.” He told her, and she smiled.

“Good, that’s a load off my mind. Sorry again to have frightened you.” She said kindly, but there was something that didn't quite make her eyes in that kindness.

“It’s ok. If you want to give me a shout when you’re in, I’m Scott.” He said, extending his hand and she smiled, taking it and shaking it.

And to his surprise, the hair on his arm prickled as she did so.

“Bonnie. Well, I hope to see you at the vet Scott.”

Scott rubbed his arm, confused by his reaction, it felt like the werewolf part of him was trying to recoil from her, but why. And then he got a strange scent off of her, kind of like...decay.

“Yeah me too. What sort of animal have you got?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Oh, dogs. Lots and lots of dogs.” She said with an odd expression on her face.

“Great. So, I’ll see you.” He said, and she nodded.

“Oh yes. I suspect you will. After all...I expect we’ll be getting a lot more dogs before this is over.” She said softly as she headed down the street before becoming shrouded in mist.

Despite himself, Scott shuddered. That woman had seemed nice enough, but there was just something, well, off about her. He saw no reason why the wolf part of him was freaking out, but it was, and that had never happened before, not even with the Nogitsune. But other than giving him a fright, she hadn't even done anything, she was just a newcomer to town with a lot of dogs, who she obviously cared about, enough to go looking for the vets in the darkness.

Strange, but nothing freaky certainly.

He was just being silly. But still, that didn't stop him lamenting the fact that he had dismissed the twins and sent them home.

But he had something better, a tall, hot blond boyfriend who was waiting to cuddle into him so he could get warm.

With that thought comforting him, he headed inside, not noticing the shining killer blue eyes of Bonnie down at the end of the street, an unfathomable expression on her face.

 

XX

 

“So do we get to find out what that was all about?” Danny asked from the back of Kira’s car.

“Yeah, you just sort of clammed up, I thought you wanted answers.” Kira said, but she was really hoping Lydia would spill the beans and tell her what the hell Peter had been after.

“Lydia? What did he want?” Jackson asked, discreetly checking his reflection in the window as Kira drove them back to Danny’s.

Lydia looked determinedly out of the window, wondering whether or not she should tell them. The only other person she had told was Allison, and now she was gone. But now that Peter was back, it suddenly seemed like it would be a good idea to tell other people. Especially if, as she suspected, he was now determined to get his hands on Malia no matter what the cost, she needed someone else on her side, someone else who knew.

“He wants me to introduce him to his daughter.” She told them grimly, and Kira braked suddenly, earning her a blaring of the horn from the car behind.

“What?” she demanded, giving the man who had honked at her the finger as he gestured at her wildly, yelling about women drivers.

“He has a daughter, and he wants me to tell her about him.” She told him as the car just sat there in the middle of the street.

“Well, why don't you? I mean I don't like the thought of him having a kid but still.” Jackson said, and Lydia took a deep breath, she was doing it, she had to do it now, otherwise she never would do it.

“Because if I tell his child who they really are, it could easily tear apart the entire pack.” She concluded grimly and the entire pack looked at her, shocked by this pronouncement.

And then, unbidden, something flashed in Kira’s mind, two faces running simultaneously, and for the first time, she noticed their many similarities. Two faces, one Peter’s, the other...

“Oh my god.” She breathed in shock, and Lydia nodded.

“Exactly! I know Scott wouldn’t care, he’s Scott, but everyone else? Considering what Peter’s done? And let’s face it, Stiles is a lot more judgemental than he likes to think he is, if I tell her, if I tell everyone, it would destroy him, destroy them!” she cried, kneading her forehead with her fingers.

“Wait, what am I missing?” Jackson asked, severely thrown by this, someone in the pack was Peter’s daughter?

“It’s Malia.” Danny breathed in shock.

“Who’s Malia?” Jackson demanded, clueless.

“Stiles girlfriend.” Kira supplied, the full weight of the implication settling in.

“Stiles has a girlfriend? How did that happen?” Jackson demanded, and Danny leaned back, flabbergasted.

“It’s worse, she isn't just Stiles girlfriend, or even the girl living as a coyote for eight years.” He summed up, and Kira nodded slowly, hardly daring to believe it.

“He’s right.”

“That’s why I didn't tell him. I can’t tell him, if Malia ever finds out, we risk losing the entire pack, we’ll rip it apart, all of us!” Lydia cried fearfully, and Jackson, at a loss for something to do, patted her shoulder.

“How is one girl capable of destroying the entire pack?” he asked in disbelief, and Kira gave him a small humourless smile.

“Because Malia isn't who she thinks she is, she isn't who anyone thinks she is. Malia isn't a Tate. She’s a Hale. She’s Peter’s daughter.”

Jackson’s mouth opened in slight surprise as the entire car went silent, as the full weight of the implication sank in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that my friends is the end of episode 2, which means we are a sixth of the way through the season (well in terms of episodes anyway)
> 
> So, what exactly does Peter have planned, and what does he mean about Jackson's time left to live? And what is Bonnie up to?
> 
> Next episode is action packed, chases, fights, riots, all sorts and of course hot young men with little on
> 
> Id be very appreciative for comments and kudos since we're at the end of another episode so please keep them coming!
> 
> And you now have the chance to help me at a later date! Because of the way my mind works, I'm looking for three new pack members to join into the series at one stage, so, head over to my Fanfiction.net account and go to lordtrayus, and place your vote for who and what you want to see join the pack in later seasons (id put it here but dont know how to do it)  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1246833/lordtrayus#
> 
> Thanks for voting!


	12. Episode 3: Revenant Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton discovers the identity of the creature, Allegra copes with the supernatural and Lydia's powers return

Two-Pack II

 

“It was the way he treated me.” Deaton complained, and Melody gave him a supremely bored look.

“My dear Deaton, I’m beginning to think that you’ve forgotten your place during your long tenure here. You are a slave! Which means that people like me, Scott, every creature in this town is perfectly at liberty to treat you as such. And considering who Scott is, I strongly doubt he was doing it to be malicious, he treated you in such a way because he wants answers, answers which I seem to remember ordering you to give him without the usual rigmarole!” she snapped angrily, her eyes blazing, and Deaton sighed, he was getting incredibly fed up of being treated like this.

“I didn't give him a concrete answer because I didn't have one, I only had suspicions. I’m still his boss.” He reminded her as he examined the dog corpse on his table, thankful that Dexio didn't start until the afternoon, then he could get to know Scott as well.

Melody quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

“You may be his boss here, but what makes you think when he discovers the truth he’ll be different from any other creature? I know he’s your little pet project, but considering how much his precious pack already resents you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were treated as you should be.” She said sweetly, enjoying watching him trying to control his temper as he worked.

He stayed stonily silent for a while, Melody relishing in his discomfort until she finally spoke again.

“You called me here because you think there’s some other player in town, who happens to be involved in this beast appearing, so what is it?” she asked, bored, and Deaton made a small noise of understanding.

“I think he’s whist.” He summed up, and her eyes flashed dangerously.

“A whist? That’s far beyond the skill of anyone in this town.” She said, all business suddenly, and he nodded grimly.

“Quite right. No werewolf has this sort of power, this is dangerous dark power. Very dangerous. The ability to create whists requires two things, a connection of some sort to death, and a way to make the power itself come to the fore. A werewolf can’t tap into their power that way, most creatures can’t. Their power is within, it only erupts outwards rarely. No, this isn't a werewolf. Something else has done this, created this abomination.” He explained, and Melody looked at the dead whist musingly.

“So...this isn't the work of the Pombero in town then?” she asked, and Deaton shook his head.

“No, well, I’m mostly certain it isn't. While the Pombero can use the power within her and force it outwards, she doesn't have the necessary connection to death that she would need to create this.” He explained, and the princess was silent, considering what to do.

“Tell Scott about this. Whatever this thing is that’s creating these whists, they are flaunting our laws. On top of that, if they are here, they most likely intend to do something to Scott. That will annoy my mother on top of creating whists. So, whatever you need to do to make sure he stays alive and well, do so. Tell him about the whists, about the Pombero, and make sure he stays alive.” She ordered coldly, and Deaton allowed himself a small smile.

“As if I would let him die.” He told her, and she fixed him with an annoyed look.

“No but you would let his pack die, and we want all of them alive as far as possible. So, tell him, and if not...well, you better hope creating a whist is all they can do.” She warned darkly and swept from the room, leaving Deaton glaring at her back.

But, that did raise a good point actually. While creating a whist was a dark enough process at the best of times, far beyond anyone in town (though he wouldn’t put it past Peter to know how to do it), the fact that they had raised a dog from the dead, making it into the foul creature he was now studying, it was slightly alarming. After all, to create a whist, one needed a dead dog, and then, as part of the ritual, the creator would then decapitate the poor thing and infuse it with malevolent energies. If they could do that, it stood to reason they would not stop at just dogs.

And now, the rising malevolence he and Melody both felt in town was getting stronger. It was subtle, creeping, like mist, but it was there. A dark energy was beginning to seep into town, and it had gotten stronger since they had first seen it. He sighed wearily, he had figured it would only be a certain amount of time before something else appeared in town, and now it actually had happened, and whatever it was, had some form of power over the dead.

He sighed. He would do as Melody ordered, not for the stuck up little princess, but for Scott. He had to know the danger he was in before it was too late. But, he thought as he looked at the dog’s corpse, perhaps it would be best to bury the whist, one to lay the poor dog to rest, and secondly...to make sure the damn thing stayed down.

As such, figuring alerting as to what he was dealing with could wait till morning to at least give him time to break the news to his grandmother, and also to take steps should the whist rise again, he fetched a shovel from the storeroom and used an empty carry cage to carry the unfortunate beast out of his surgery, realising grimly that this whist would only be the first of many.

 

XX

 

Hollis was standing above an apartment building in the city, the wind ruffling at him. Agravaine was here. He could feel him, down below, somewhere in the city, the putrid scent of the beast lingering over the town.

The first whist had been created and now, there would be more. When Agravaine created one of the abominations, he always made more, and in a town like this, he seriously doubted he would just stop at dogs. No, Agravaine was here for the long haul.

Hollis winced, coughing a little, his bones killing him. Very soon he would need to admit defeat and spend all his time in his owl form, if he didn't, he would just die quicker. Ironic, the thing that was killing him, his other form, would be the thing that kept him alive that little bit longer, to get revenge against Agravaine, against his pack, against his entire foul species if he could.

Jessica would be avenged. Niall would be avenged.

He suddenly tensed, hearing a sound of one of the hated beasts. There seemed to be a ruckus going on down below. Grunting in pain and weariness as he transformed, he looked down with his owl eyes, seeing much more than he would as a human, and saw the source of the commotion.

A cat was being tormented by a gang of youths, the cat quivering and hissing beneath a bin, swiping at the ferocious, vicious dogs that were trying to capture it while the cackling skin headed youths egged their dogs on, laughing, one of them with a firework in his hand, clearly meant for the cat.

Hollis gave a terrible screech and descended, eyes glowing viciously as he did so, and as he ripped the throat out of the first dog, a bull terrier, slashing it to pieces, it gave a pitying whine.

The boys screamed and tried to run, the other two dogs biting at his wings and his tail feathers, but he was too powerful for that, his large, taloned feet rending the Doberman in two while he used his beak to rip a hole in the final dog, the Rottweiler’s head.

The three screaming youths were nearly to the end of the alley, but they were no match for a creature like him, and with a vicious screech, he sped up the alleyway, beak, claws and talons ripping them apart and ending their lives as blood splattered the walls and their screams died in their throats.

 

XX

 

The next morning dawned bright and frosty, and it was the early morning that found the sheriff and Parrish standing in the graveyard, scarves around their necks and gloves on their hands as their puzzled officers observed the problem.

“According to the owner, he came in this morning and found them all like this.” Claris, the new young deputy reported, her face confused as she looked out at the crime scene.

The sheriff and Parrish however, being slightly more clued in to what happened in town than she was, were not quite so sanguine.

The caretaker had come in this morning to discover that several of the graves had been dug up since the day before. What surprised him most of all was how clean the entire process was, it was like the entire thing had been done methodically, to make as little mess as possible. But as it stood there were now six empty graves dotted throughout the graveyard.

“There aren't any prints or anything, nothing to explain it. What sort of sick freak would come along and dig up bodies?” Claris demanded, looking nauseated and John clapped her shoulder.

“Welcome to Beacon Hills deputy, where sick freaks and bizarre murders are the norm. And I know from experience there’s no CCTV anywhere near here.” He said grimly, and Parrish looked at him curiously.

“How come? Someone dig up a body then too?” he asked, and John smiled.

“Technically, Derek pulled Isaac out of a grave, apparently Jackson knocked him in when he was...when he wasn’t feeling quite himself.” The sheriff said, relaxing a little as Claris seemed to accept this as a good explanation.

“Do you have that list of the bodies that were dug up?” she asked the owner, and he nodded.

“Yes, I can’t think of anything that links them, other than they were all buried within a year, well other than that one.” He said, pointing to the name at the bottom of the list and she looked at it, as did John, who, upon realising what names were on it, ripped the sheet from her hand, making her yelp.

“Ow, what did I ever do to you?” she demanded, sucking the paper cuts she had just been given.

“This isn't coincidence.” John said grimly, showing Parrish, who took one look at it and groaned.

“Great.” He said with false cheer, as Claris looked between the two, demanding answers.

“What’s so worrying, well, other than what someone might be doing to those corpses?” she asked, and John was about to answer when his phone rang, and answering it, he quickly took the call from Elba, who had been called out with Haigh to investigate something else.

“Wonderful. Three more murders, courtesy of the same assailant as last time, and by the looks of things, their three dogs were killed too. And the only witness is one very shell shocked cat.” He griped, rubbing his eyes wearily, that was all they needed.

“The dogs dying...” Parrish said suggestively, as Claris was still looking between them as if they were both crazy, which to be fair they probably seemed to her.

“Means we could have two very sick individuals running around town, just another day at the office for us then. Alright, Claris, if you clear up here, we can go and check out these bodies, that sound alright?” John asked, hating that he and Parrish kept having to dance around the truth like this, especially when it was his officers that would be in the firing line.

“Sure.” Claris said, giving them a last odd look before she returned her attention to the owner.

“You know, eventually, they’re all going to lock us up.” Parrish commented as they got into the car, and John sighed wearily.

“This isn't like you, believe me I’d love nothing more than to bring them all onto the chessboard but this is different, they haven’t been attacked, they just think we’re, well, nutters really. No, we play this close to our chests, and now, by the looks of things, we have someone going around offing people and their dogs, and on top of that we’ve got someone who’s dug up some graves, and considering who everyone was...”

“It’s not random coincidence. Someone’s targeting them. We need to warn Scott.” Parrish said as he turned on the sirens, and John nodded.

“I agree, but first we need to know more, so let’s find out what happened to those bodies before we bring the kids into it. They have enough on their plates right now.” John said grimly as Parrish drove them towards the latest victims of the supernatural.

 

XX

 

“Morning boys.” Allegra said, nursing a cup of tea as they entered the room and Scott looked at his grandmother hesitantly.

“How are you doing?” he asked nervously, and invisible from Allegra’s view Isaac squeezed his hand soothingly, and Allegra smiled.

“I’m fine. Well, as fine as one who just found out her grandson is a werewolf, another kid who is effectively her grandson is a nogitsoon and the rest of the supernatural exists.” She said, sipping her, but other than looking slightly tired, she seemed to be accepting it, must be an old cop thing, nothing seemed to faze her.

“Nogitsune.” Isaac corrected automatically, passing Scott his Lucky Charms without a word said between them, Allegra watching their silent breakfast routine with interest.

“So, you’re ok with it?” Scott asked nervously, as he threw the butter over his shoulder, Isaac catching it seamlessly, though he was sure he heard his grandmother mutter than they were show offs as he sat down.

“Yes dear. I mean, it’s a bit to get used to, but I’ve accepted everything else, if I can accept that my daughter marrying an imbecile, I can accept my favourite grandson being a gay werewolf.” She said fondly, kissing his head (feeling rather glad that he had just done his usual spiky fringe style today) as she got up to make herself some more tea, which Isaac boiled the kettle for without even looking round, making Allegra give him a surprised look.

“How do you do that?” she asked in shock and he grinned.

“Just that good.” He said cheerfully, sitting down beside Scott, who eyed down his boyfriend’s scarf necked top interestedly, before Allegra smiled and waved a reproving finger at him.

“Oi, no sexy stuff at the table young man, if I didn't let your mother do things with her many romantic partners I’m not going to let you do it either. We eat off this table.” She said with dignity, putting her two sugars in the cup as Melissa joined them, shooting her mother a dirty look.

“There weren’t that many.” She said sniffily, and Allegra looked thoughtful.

“Well there was the boy from down the road, that specky, spotty newspaper boy, that boy who turned out to be a girl,” she listed, Scott looking between his mortified mother and his grandmother in delight while Isaac sniggered into his peanut butter and nutella sandwich, “that girl who turned out to be a boy, that boy who left you tied up naked at a crime scene for me to find...”

“MOTHER!” Melissa yelled in outrage, completely scarlet as the boys cackled madly with laughter.

“Then there was all the college boyfriends, the one who broke your heart, the one who,” she continued before Melissa stuck a hand over her mouth, glaring at her furiously.

“Thank you mother, isn't it time motor mouthed old women ate their breakfast silently?” she hissed as Scott wiped tears from his eyes, and Allegra shrugged before sitting down at the table.

“What did the last one do?” Scott whispered and Allegra smirked and leaned close while Melissa had her head in the fridge.

“Let’s just say there were three in the bed and none of them said roll over.” She whispered, and Melissa, hearing her mother, jerked up out of the fridge, looking furious.

“Mother!” she yelled as the boys continued shaking with laughter, but Allegra only winked and tucked into her cereal.

“So now that you’ve successfully revealed my high school love life,” Melissa ground out waspishly, “how are you doing?” she asked in genuine concern and Allegra sighed, poking at her bran, eating the raisins out of it first.

“Well, admittedly it is a lot to take in. You also spend all night thinking of what cases possibly involved supernatural creatures, and the number I can even think of is alarming so I won’t go any further down that road, like that poor child who’s parent’s were killed by what could only be a creature sixteen years ago and he was abandoned, covered in their blood on the side of the road, but...I actually think it’s alright. I mean there have to be advantages to having werewolf grandkids right?” she asked, and Isaac was about to point out that she only had one werewolf grandkid when a smiling Scott nuzzled him a little, and Isaac went pink, realising what she meant.

“Oh, you mean the crippling fear that whatever fresh hell there is in town will rip my kids to shreds, the fear that someone looks at Isaac or Stiles funny and Scott will rip their heads off, the fact that the supernatural crap affects their schoolwork, the murders bringing my ass ex husband to town to stick his nose in, for my mother to be attacked by dog zombies, all that?” Melissa summed up briskly, and Allegra nodded.

“Well yes. And your ex husband is currently facing a disciplinary for incompetence, not that I’m surprised, so that’s one benefit to him sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong.” She said savagely and Isaac grinned.

After all, despite his promise to Scott, Rafe McCall had still hardly been a sterling father. Yes he phoned and talked every week, asked about his grades, about lacrosse, about his mother, and then spent the rest of the time talking about the proceedings which were taking even longer than he’d made the sheriff’s one take. However, other than the basic pass of being a father, he didn't care and was clearly more interested in his hearing than Scott, and hadn't asked about how he was dealing with Allison’s death, about Stiles, Isaac, or even his grandmother (not that he would, the two loathed one another).

“So you’re ok?” Scott asked hopefully, and Allegra nodded.

“Yes dear, I’ll be fine. In its own way it is quite impressive having a werewolf as a grandson. Pity I can’t tell my bridge meetings, they’d be jealous. Ah well. So let me get this straight, you two and the twins are all werewolves, and you’re the leader of the local pack?” she asked, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, I’m the Alpha and Isaac is my prime beta which means he’s my second in command. Jackson is a wolf too.” Scott explained, and Allegra looked at him in confusion.

“Wait I thought he was a Kilimanjaro or something like that?” she asked, and Isaac grinned.

“A kanima, a were snake lizard thing.” He said, and she rubbed her head wearily.

“And now he’s a wolf? I shall take notes.” She said, pulling a notepad from her back pocket and beginning to jot it all down.

“So we still don't know what attacked her last night?” Melissa asked Isaac as Allegra had Scott check her spelling, then told her off for spelling his own name wrong.

“Seriously, every year, every card, only one ‘T’, it has two ‘T’s!” he yelled and Allegra winked at Isaac as Melissa sniggered.

“No, headless zombies are a new one for us.” He said, and Melissa sighed.

“Is it too much to hope for that we’ve seen the last of whatever it is?” she asked, and Scott was checking his grandmother’s progress when his phone rang, and he put the phone on the table activating the speaker as he did it.

“I think we’re about to find out. Morning.” Scott said, rolling his eyes as he saw both Melissa and Isaac glare at the name on the phone, Isaac growling as he saw the name.

“Good morning to you too Isaac,” Deaton said cheerfully, making Isaac scowl, “I have news.” He explained, and Allegra perked up.

“You know what it is that attacked me?” she asked, and if he was surprised by her presence in the conversation he didn't let it be known.

“Yes, I was right in my initial suspicions. It was a whist that attacked you.” He explained, as if that was meant to have some sort of significance to the rest of them.

“And what exactly is a whist?” Melissa asked, her face clouded.

“I believe it to be a creature descended from British myths and legends. In essence, it is a zombie, well a dog zombie, which had been mutilated and warped by some malevolent power in order to turn them into a sort of foot soldier for whoever is behind the ritual that created it in the first place. Something very dark is in town.” He explained and Isaac and Scott exchanged a weary glance before Scott pressed on ahead.

“Is it the same thing that attacked us to get to Lydia?” Scott asked, and he could visualise the vet shaking his head.

“No, from what you described to me, she sounds like she is a Pombero. While she has access to the power and is able to convert it in such a way that it could be her, I strongly doubt it is her, it’s not her sort of thing for a kick off, and her power, while possible, would be very difficult to use to create a whist.” He explained, and Isaac was already texting Argent, asking him to confirm what Deaton was telling them since everything he told them was suspect until further notice.

“Great, some other fresh hell. So what do we know about these whists, how do we stop them, how do we stop them killing dogs and creating them?” Scott asked, and Isaac hesitated in his texting for a second, admiring the little inflection in his boyfriend’s voice, worrying about the dogs.

Deaton made a thoughtful sound as he considered the question.

“Hmm, I don't know the intricacies of creating whists,” he said, and Scott was profoundly glad he couldn't see the sceptical looks on Isaac and his mother’s faces, “but if there is any information, any possible way to track them, there might be mention of it in the bestiary.” He mused, and Scott sighed.

“Yeah well that doesn't help us much, Lydia’s the only one out of all of us who can understand Latin, and with everything else we have to do, she doesn't have much time to translate hundreds of pages of Latin just for obscure little bits of information about whatever new thing is in town.” He told him grumpily, and Deaton sighed.

“Well unless Lydia can afford to dedicate more time to translating the bestiary...”

“I can translate Latin.” Allegra interjected, and everyone in the room looked at her in shock.

“Wait, what?” Melissa asked in shock, and Allegra smiled.

“I was at school rather a while dear so I was taught Latin there. I mean I know the subject is virtually useless but I always enjoyed it. I can translate the book into English for you if you want sweetheart. It’ll take me a while, but I can do it.” She told Scott, who was now looking at her like she was the messiah.

“Seriously, you can translate the entire bestiary for us?” he asked excitedly, and Isaac shared the excitement, for a change they wouldn’t be stumbling around in the dark trying to figure out what they were dealing with, everything would be in English and understandable.

“Yes, and it’s actually quite a good idea, helps me get to grips with your world faster. Well, guess what I’m doing today while you two are at school.” She said, and Scott grinned.

“I’ll get it for you. Will you be ok?” he asked, and she arced an eyebrow at him.

“I think, barring any more attacks by vicious whists, I ought to be fine. Go to school and you missy go to work.”

“I meant with the computer.” Scott said with a slight grin, and she deflated slightly, before waving her hand dismissively.

“It’s fine, I’ll go to the library, they can help me there. I’m quite excited about helping actually. Now, get me what I need then off to school with you.” She ordered, and as Scott bid Deaton goodbye and the boys went upstairs to get their stuff and the bestiary file for Allegra, she looked at her daughter curiously.

“Why does Isaac not like Deaton?” she asked in interest, and Melissa gave her a grim smile.

“He doesn't trust him, none of the pack do. He was the reason Stiles got possessed, he was the reason Scott and Isaac broke up, he was willing to let Aiden die, he never gives the kids everything they need when they need it and a lot more people get hurt or die because of it. I don't trust him either, he knew what Stiles was going through and just sat back and let it happen. He saved Scott, true, but like Isaac, I’m beginning to think that was more about him than anyone else.” She said grimly, and she saw her mother’s face assume an expression of cold calculation.

“Really? That is interesting now isn't it? Wait, he broke Scott and Isaac up?” she demanded indignantly and Melissa smiled, resigning herself to catching her up on her son’s love life (if only to try and recover some of the ground her big mouthed mother had lost her this morning) before work.

 

XX

 

“So she’ll translate the entire bestiary?” Stiles asked as he lounged against Scott’s locker, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, who knew grandma was good at Latin? We’ll finally be able to figure out what the hell we’re dealing with without waiting for Deaton to get his finger out and tell us.” He said, rummaging in his locker for his economics stuff.

“So the thing after Lydia is a Pombero?” Aiden asked, and Scott nodded.

“Seems to be. Still leaves us figuring out what the hell else attacked you but at least we know what the other things we’ve met are now.” He reasoned as Isaac nodded, looking pensive.

“Yeah and that’s all very well and good, but who was controlling the whist? Just once it would be nice to figure out who and what the big bad is before the body count starts climbing.” He said, and Stiles looked at his phone hesitantly, making Scott groan.

“What, are we too late?” he demanded anxiously, and Stiles nodded grimly.

“There was another triple murder this morning, also killing the dogs while he was at it. On the plus side, they rescued the shell shocked cat that the three thugs were trying to run down with their dogs and strap a firework to.” He told them, and Isaac sniffed in approval, feeling that they had kind of been asking for it.

“The Pombero?” Ethan asked curiously, and Stiles shrugged.

“Doesn't say, but the last one was ripped apart, so that’s claws, not whip or voice stealing if you ask me.” He reasoned, and Ethan was about to reply when he saw Danny enter the school, his ears perking up a little as he did so...until Mason followed him in, chatting fluently.

Ethan looked at the two of them, at his boyfriend, talking happily with Mason and a low menacing growl escaped his throat, they were only meant to be taking a break, and here was Danny already sidling up to another gay guy, how was that fair, last time he’d had his back turned he’d rushed back to his ex, and now this?

“He isn't trying to replace you.” Scott assured him and Ethan glowered at him resentfully.

“How can you tell?” he demanded, and Scott smiled grimly.

“Because I’m using my ears rather than my cock. They’re talking about the Walking Dead, you don't need to worry. Danny isn't like that.” He assured his beta, who harrumphed but stayed where he was as Danny and Mason hung out by his locker.

“He ran back to his ex fast enough.” Ethan moaned bitterly, and Isaac rolled his eyes.

“Which I told you was because you leaving without an explanation messed him up totally. He needs time, so the best thing you can do is just step back and let him deal with it, think about it from his perspective, he naively thought you were cute and sweet before he found out, it’s got to be hard reconciling that.” He told him calmly, and Ethan continued brooding, but at least he looked a little happier about it.

“If Danny’s back, who’s babysitting Jackson?” Lydia asked as she came around the corner, Malia and Kira on her heels, and Scott grinned humourlessly.

“Don’t worry, poor mom has the pleasure of his company this morning, we have to try and hide what’s going on with his arm somehow, so she’s fitting him for a bandage and having another few pokes at it. If you ask me she just likes stabbing him with needles.” He explained and Isaac and Stiles grinned, silently agreeing that it couldn't happen to a nicer person.

“So who do we reckon’s behind the attack on your grandma?” Kira asked curiously, and Scott shrugged.

“No idea but according to Deaton it takes serious power to create a whist, power unlike we’ve seen apparently. And call me cynical but I don't think they were after grandma, I think they were just scouting out the house, seeing what it could see. Well it doesn't have a head, but you know what I mean.” Scott said, and Kira exchanged a silent glance with Lydia, who shrugged, giving a brief nod, knowing she wouldn’t spill the beans about Malia.

“Could Peter create a whist?” she asked hesitantly, and Scott shrugged.

“I don't know, Deaton reckons werewolves can’t do it...mind you, if any werewolf could it would be him.” He said in distaste, and the others had to admit that was a fair point.

“Well it’s just, he’s back.” Lydia broached before her nerve failed her, and as expected, Scott gave a low threatening growl, his eyes flashing red as he did so.

“Peter’s back? Since when?” he demanded, and she shrugged.

“I don't know, I only registered that he was back yesterday, and he wasn’t spilling the beans about anything I wanted to know, so we left.” She said in distaste, and Aiden looked at her in alarm.

“Wait, you went to Peter’s without any sort of back up?” he demanded frantically, and she shot him an exasperated look.

“I’m not stupid Aiden, I know everything he’s done, remember, he drove me crazy? Of course I didn't go alone, Kira came with me and so did Danny and Jackson.” She said, but at the mere mention of Jackson doing the job he used to do made Aiden scowl furiously, but Scott had other considerations.

“You shouldn’t have gone to see him. Did he tell you where he’s been?” he asked suspiciously, and Lydia shook her head.

“Nope, unfortunately, he didn't tell us anything of interest. But now, we know what’s after me, so I don't need to go back there, it’s fine.” She said, though Kira looked less than convinced, after all, Peter seemed pretty determined to get his hands on Malia, and regardless, he would find a way to get what he wanted even if Lydia didn't play ball.

“Either way it seems kind of suspicious doesn't it that Peter shows up in town just as some flying guy with claws, the Pombero and a whist all show up at the same time?” Stiles asked, smiling as he saw Malia walking towards them.

Kira cocked her head at her friend as she approached. It was hard to believe that she was actually Peter’s daughter, but regardless of that, Lydia was right. If the rest of the pack found out she was Peter’s child there was no telling what would happen, or who would be affected in the fallout.

“Hey.” She said happily, Stiles kissing her in greeting.

“Hey yourself. Looking forward to maths?” he asked brightly, and she shot him a lethal glare that made him shut up.

“Don't worry Malia, we’ve got cheerleader tryouts later, my mom’s doing them now since the old one got offered a job teaching ballet classes.” Lydia informed her, and Malia nodded, ignoring the look of excitement on Stiles face.

“Wait, you’re joining the cheerleading team?” he asked excitedly, and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, well, I’m trying out for it, they might not even let me in considering how crap I am at maths.” She complained, and Kira patted her shoulder.

“It’s alright, we’ll all help you with maths. Besides, Lydia can just nag her mom otherwise. By the way, my dad’s buying himself a flag so he can cheer for us at our first game.” She complained and Scott grinned.

“Aww bless him, he’s going to be yelling your name so loud everyone will know who you are!” he teased and she hung her head in dismay as the others laughed at her impending humiliation.

“Hey, least you have someone to cheer for you, most of the time Isaac and I need to steal Melissa to cheer for us.” Stiles told her, his mind lingering over the thought of Malia wearing the cheerleader uniform.

Seeing this, Lydia clicked her fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality, his face slightly red.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, and Aiden looked at him hopefully.

“Hey, since you’re still on the light side of the force,” he said, earning him a dirty look from Scott, Isaac and Ethan, “how about we go and check out the cheerleader tryouts later?” he asked with a grin, and Stiles looked as if he was about to agree when a steely glare from Malia quickly made him shut up.

“Um, can’t, I think I just got plans made for me.” He lamented and Malia and Lydia grinned at each other as he hung his head sadly, Scott and Isaac sniggering at him.

Aiden sighed in annoyance.

“I need straight friends.” He complained and Ethan grinned, leaning close to his brother.

“Well you do have your man crush, why not focus on that?” he whispered playfully, and Aiden gave a low growl that made his sniggering brother back off, his man crush was nonexistent, it was only in Ethan’s head, well, mostly.

“Have we got practice today?” Aiden asked hopefully, and Scott shook his head.

“No, I’ve got work.” He replied, and Isaac grinned.

“Yeah it’s the one day a week where I get peace to watch cartoons without him asking stupid questions. Sheer bliss.” Isaac said with a grin, and Scott sent him a dirty look while Stiles nodded sagely.

“Yeah, too right. He’s always done that. I remember a very long conversation why I had to explain why Ash was still the same age he was when he started the series. That’s an hour of my life I’m never getting back.” He lamented and Kira giggled while Scott glared at him too.

“I hate you guys.” He complained, and Kira patted his shoulder.

“Well I don't hate you, dad was threatening to come and watch me practice. He’s going to destroy my life.” She moaned hanging her head in despair, however she perked up a second later as another voice joined the group.

“Hey guys.” Liam said happily, Garrett at his heels and Kira turned and smiled at him, making him avoid her eyes and scuff his toes nervously.

“Good! You’re straight right?” Aiden asked hopefully, and Liam looked at him as if he were crazy and nodded.

“Um, yeah, why?” he asked, completely thrown.

“Want to come check out the cheerleader tryouts with me?” he asked brightly, and Lydia looked at him, thoroughly bemused.

“Seriously?” she asked in disbelief and he gave her a falsely sweet smile.

“Well, seeing as the girl I was dating dumped me for no good reason, and she was already checking out guys at the swim team tryouts, I might as well check out girls at the cheerleader tryouts.” He said bitterly, and Lydia did look slightly taken aback.

“And besides, every normal straight guy goes to check out the cheerleader tryouts, just like we always go and check out the swimming tryouts.” Danny explained as he and Mason approached, Mason clapping Garrett’s shoulder in greeting.

“Um, no, I can’t, I’ve got...stuff to do.” Liam muttered, going red and determinedly avoiding a curious Kira’s gaze.

“Oh for...Garrett, you’re straight right?” he asked hopefully, and Mason nodded sadly.

“Yep, I’ve tried to convince him to see the light but he remains stubbornly straight.” He complained, and Garrett grinned.

“Come on, you and I can go and scout for girls at the cheerleader tryouts!” Aiden said excitedly, and Garrett laughed and nodded.

“Sure, I was going to go anyway, and Liam never goes, and he kind of cramps my style, who cares about hot when there’s cute and cuddly beside me?” he asked, messing up Liam’s slightly messy hair and he glared at Garrett, swatting at him as he and Mason laughed.

“Awesome!” Aiden said excitedly, and Ethan cocked his head.

“Aww cute, Aiden made a friend.” He teased, and Aiden grinned.

“Well more than you’ve done. Come on, you need to be my wingman.” He said and Lydia looked at him, looking slightly put out.

“What, now?” she asked in shock and Aiden gave her a cold smile.

“Yeah now, I figured since you aren't wasting any time I shouldn’t either. Besides, Ethan’s a good wingman, I set them up, then tell them he’s gay then I get them all to myself!” he aid brightly, and dragged Ethan away, muttering something about Scott into his brother’s ear then cuffing him in the back of the head, Danny’s eyes sad as they disappeared, and Scott was fairly sure that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed that he and Ethan’s eyes hadn't left each other.

“That guy is a god.” Garrett said, impressed, and Mason rolled his eyes.

“Figures you’d think that.” He complained and Garrett grinned.

“Hey, don't be bitter with me because that guy from Davenport doesn't want you.” He said, and Liam looked around, his eyes accusing.

“What guy?” he demanded, and Garrett suddenly looked very guilty as Mason shifted nervously.

“Um, it’s just a crush, that’s all it is!” he justified, and Liam looked at him, his expression quickly turning to one of betrayal.

“You wouldn’t be so worried of how I’d react...wait...Brett?” he demanded furiously, and Mason shrugged uncertainly.

“Maybe, it’s not my fault, I drove through your old neighbourhood and saw him with his kit off, it’s only a crush!” he justified and Liam harrumphed, glaring at him.

“Yeah sure, if you like the sort of guy who runs you out of school because his father’s a dick.” He complained, looking hurt, and Mason looked so forlorn that Kira felt the need to step in.

“He can’t who he likes, none of us can. Look at Stiles, he’s liked someone who was a complete bitch to him for years,” she reasoned, earning her a reproving glare from Lydia, though Scott and Isaac exchanged a look that made it clear she thought she had a point, “and then a girl who lived wild for eight years. Your heart can’t help who it likes.” She told him wisely, and Liam made another nose of discontent, his arms crossed and glaring at Mason.

“And it isn't as if he can even get anywhere with Brett, he’s got a girlfriend. And you weren’t meant to find out.” Garrett said sheepishly, shifting nervously and Liam made another annoyed noise but said no more, before he turned to Scott.

“Hey, want to practice tonight?” he asked hopefully, giving Mason a cold shoulder as one of his two best friends slumped sadly.

“Sorry squirt, can’t, I’ve got work, and Isaac doesn't have practice either, he get’s peace so he can watch cartoons without me interrupting him. We can go tomorrow though.” He said, and this seemed to cheer him up, as he had sagged a little when Scott had told him no.

“Awesome.” He said happily, and Mason edged forward nervously.

“I can’t help it, I’m sorry, I won’t even you know, do anything about it ok? I didn't want to like him considering what he did to you!” he moaned, and Liam glared.

“Sure, whatever.” He said dismissively and Garrett rolled his eyes before Kira stepped in.

“Oh come on, Liam it isn't as if he likes him on purpose. I know you think this guy’s a bit of a dick but that can’t be helped. Scott probably thought Isaac was a bit of a dick at first and look at them now!” she said, pointing to the two of them, Isaac giving her an affronted look.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, nettled, but she waved him off, taking the slight grin on Liam’s face as a sign of victory.

“That’s true I suppose.” He admitted, and she nodded happily.

“Exactly. But, you on the other hand, seriously, all it takes for you to fancy someone is for them to get their tops off? With the amount of tops that come off in this town? Seriously? And of all the guys usually wondering around, you like one who was a dick to your best friend?” she asked, sounding severely unimpressed and Mason spluttered a little and Danny patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, everyone gets that, you get a little period when you fancy everyone who’s remotely attractive. Lydia used to say I was in heat, you grow out of it.” He assured him, and he took Malia’s other hand as he and Stiles started dragging her towards maths.

“No, not going, can’t make me!” she protested as they vanished from sight, the others shaking their heads in amusement as they did so.

“Yeah, I remember that, he was a nightmare when he was in heat.” Lydia said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she swept away, shoving Malia from the back to help the other two get her to the subject she so hated as people all admitted defeat and started bustling towards their classes before the bell rang.

“I know it’s pathetic!” Mason whined, and she looked at him kindly.

“I didn't say it was pathetic, I mean some guys around here,” she admitted fairly, Liam perking up a little, “but still, someone who was involved in Liam leaving his last school? You could have at least kept it quiet. Now, are you two going to be friends?” she asked, and Liam and Mason grinned at each other.

“Yeah I suppose, he’s still an idiot with poor taste.” Liam said, and Mason grinned and nodded.

“No arguments here, remember Gary?” he asked, and Liam smiled back, Kira relaxing.

“Good. Now, shake your hands...or something.” She ordered and both boys hugged under her watchful eye, nodding happily.

“Good. Now, I need to get to class. You better still be talking, I don't want to have to sit between you at lunch.” She warned, wagging her finger at them both as she disappeared.

“I’m sorry dude, I know you and Brett have issues.” Mason said, and Liam waved his hand as they bid the others goodbye and started heading for French.

“Never mind that, just think what else we can fall out over by lunch.” He insisted urgently as they walked away and Mason grinned.

“Huh, so we need to pretend to fall out again so you can sit beside Kira at lunch because of your little crush? Even though if you sit beside her you probably won’t say anything and will bottle it as you usually do because you’re too shy to tell her you like her?” he asked teasingly, and Liam looked away.

“No...” he mumbled, going red and looking at his shoes, and Mason laughed as they vanished up the stairs.

“Great, I love it when I’m the most mature out the three of us.” Garrett gloated as the bell rang and they all headed for class.

“So did you hang out with them when Liam was at the prep school?” Isaac asked curiously, and Garrett shook his head.

“No, the orphanage is close to it though. Mason lives on the outskirts of the catchment for here, and he always went to hang out with Liam because his mum runs a catering company out of her place so there’s always people coming in and out. So he would always go to Liam’s and hang out with him, and one time I was just killing time at the mall and I bumped into them, can’t get away from them now.” He complained, not meaning a word of it.

“Wait, you actually live in the orphanage?” Scott asked in surprise, and Garrett glared at him, as though thinking he was making fun of him.

“Yeah, kind of the point of being an orphan. We don't all have friends like you to take me in.” He snapped, and Scott shook his head.

“No, sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just, I didn't know you were an orphan.” He said, and Isaac laid a hand on Garrett’s shoulder.

“I know you’ll think I’m biased because I’m sleeping with him, but he wouldn’t do that. Usually if he offends someone it’s because he just blunders through without thinking. He wouldn’t do that.” He assured him and Garrett sighed.

“I know, sorry, it’s just, I don't like people thinking they’re better than me because they don't live in an orphanage.” He complained bitterly, and Scott shook his head.

“I didn't mean it like that Garrett, trust me. I just had no idea.” He said apologetically, and Garrett shrugged.

“No reason you should have, I don't like broadcasting it, if you don't get the assholes making fun of you for it, you get the false pity instead, I can do without both.” He muttered darkly, and Scott cocked his head sympathetically.

“So only Liam and Mason know?” he asked, and Garrett nodded.

“Yeah, Violet too since I really had it bad for her before I found out she liked girls. It’s cool though, we can compare notes on girls, Liam’s too shy to do that.” He said with a small grin, and Scott felt himself kind of...bristling.

“Yeah well, he’s one of the youngest in the year isn't he?” he justified, earning him an amused look from Isaac.

“Yeah he is but he’s still a guy!” Garrett insisted in exasperation, amused by his friend’s nature of liking girls but being too shy to say anything to them.

“Do you-do you remember it?” Isaac asked hesitantly, and Garrett gave him a hard look before giving him a small nod.

“Well, kind of. I remember being in the back, and something hitting us. The car flipped, my parents were screaming. Then there was this kind of growl and they screamed even more...and then I was pulled out of the car, dragged out and left on the side of the road, my parent’s...my parent’s ripped to shreds by something.” He said, hesitating a little as something caught in his throat and he shook his head while Isaac rubbed his shoulder kindly.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” He said, and Garrett shook his head, dismissing it.

“No, it doesn't matter. I don't normally tell people all this, I’ve no idea why I’m telling you guys. Just, don't spread it around alright? I don't want to deal with everyone else.” He pleaded, and Scott nodded.

“Course we won’t. Your secret’s safe with us.” He assured him and Garrett gave them a small smile.

“Thanks guys. See you later ok?” he said, bidding them goodbye leaving the two leading wolves of the pack looking at his retreating back.

“Poor kid. You reckon those kids with the drugs are giving him trouble?” he asked, referring to the night before’s conversation, and Scott shrugged, not really knowing.

“I don't know, all I do know is I kind of want to...” he began, trailing off, and Isaac smiled.

“Protect him. Kind of like you did me.” He whispered, kissing his cheek and Scott sagged a little, smiling.

“Am I that obvious?” he asked, and Isaac patted his cheek pityingly.

“Yeah, you kind of are. But, did you hear what he said about his parents dying? What are the chances?” he asked grimly, and Scott snorted in annoyance.

“That that was the case grandma was talking about this morning? That it isn't something supernatural that killed them then dragged him out of the car? Nonexistent. Come on, let’s go.” He said, vowing to keep an eye out for Garrett from now on too.

It was happening just like the twins had said, he was feeling such strong protective feelings for all three of them now, for Liam, for Mason, for Garrett. They were becoming part of his pack, and he was becoming their Alpha as much as he was everybody else’s. He wanted, needed to look out for them, just like the others.

Being an Alpha was weird.

“Aw crap!” Malia swore as she tried to sneak out of the classroom in the chaos of everyone coming in and sitting down, and Scott grinned.

“Nice try missy, come on, back inside.” He told her in amusement, and she called him a word he didn't even think she knew as both of them steered her very unwilling form back inside, Scott musing on his expanding pack as they did so.

 

XX

 

“I get to watch, how awesome!” Stiles boasted in joy as he sat down beside Aiden and Garrett, who was casting a very appreciative eye on all the girls who were all lined up ready for the tryouts.

They weren’t the only guys here, not by a long shot, it seemed that half the straight male population were all here, watching with rapt attention. Mrs Martin walked out onto the field, ready to start the tryouts, saw all the boys, sighed and shook her head, and deciding it wasn’t worth her time to tell them to sod off, and headed for the tryouts.

“Yeah but Malia will claw your eyes out if you look at anyone but her right?” Aiden asked with a grin, and Stiles shrugged.

“Hey, have you seen her?” he asked, and both the other two gave her an appraising look, nodding in approval.

“Fair point.” Garrett admitted, as she did look very nice with a sleeveless top and a miniskirt on.

“So, did you seriously want to come to this, or are you just doing it to piss Lydia off?” Stiles asked, lounging back on his seat, and Aiden shrugged.

“Kind of both.” He said with savage pleasure, and Garrett cocked his head at where Lydia was talking to Malia.

“For what it’s worth, I don't think she’s over you, she seemed pissed that you were coming here.” He assured him, and Aiden smirked smugly.

“Good.”

Stiles and Garrett exchanged a look, but figuring it wasn’t their problem they went quiet.

“I can’t believe he actually came!” Lydia hissed, and Malia gave her an unimpressed look of disbelief.

“Are you kidding? You dumped him, which means he is perfectly at liberty to sit and drool over all the girls like every other straight guy in the school is doing.” She complained, exasperated, gesturing wildly towards the stands.

“Yeah but, he could at least wait a little while!” she hissed, and Malia shook her head.

“Look, this might be because I’m new to the whole teenage dating scene, but really? You dumped him, and in ten minutes of that, your ex shows up. And let’s face it, you’re one of the most wanted girls in school, I don't think you can blame him for wanting to move on, especially since you dumped him for no reason.” She ranted, and Lydia shot her a bemused look.

“Sweetheart, you might be new to all this, but regardless, when a girl dumps a guy, the girlfriends take the girl’s side.” She explained, and Malia looked at her, perplexed.

“Really? Even when the girl’s clearly in the wrong like you are?” she asked in surprise and Lydia flared her nostrils in annoyance.

“Yes.”

“Well that’s dumb. Kira agrees with me you know, she thinks you’re dumb for dumping him and dumber still for not telling him why.” She informed her and Lydia raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really? And what do you think?” she asked, annoyed by them both passing judgement, Kira didn't even have a boyfriend and Malia had been living wild for years, and as she fixed Malia with a steely glare, Malia shrugged.

“Trust me, you don't want to hear what I think.” She assured her, and Lydia tutted as Melody approached.

“Hi Malia.” She said, and Malia smiled and turned to face her.

“Hi. Lydia, this is Melody.” She told her, and an annoyed Lydia gave her the once over and nodded.

“Hi.” She said, not interested in going any further and Malia shrugged, turning back to a puzzled Melody.

“Forget her, she’s just having a hissy because we think she’s stupid for dumping Aiden.” She explained, and Melody quickly scanned the crowd.

“Huh, the twin over there?” she asked with interest, and Lydia turned back and fixed her with a venomous look.

“Yes, him.” She said, her frosty tone clearly indicating that she shouldn’t go any further with her inquiries.

Melody considered this. Aiden was perhaps her way to get closer to the pack, but it was rather obvious that both of them still had feelings for the other. But regardless, it was something to watch.

“Who’s the one with the messy hair and the orange sneakers beside him?” she asked, knowing full well who he was, and Malia smiled proudly.

“That’s Stiles, he’s mine.” She said happily, and Melody grinned.

“Huh, he’s cute.” She complimented, and Malia waved at Stiles, who waved back.

Melody had ruled out coming between a couple early on. Admittedly, considering all the hot guys in the pack she had no shortage of guys to go for, but she had figured disrupting any of the relationships wouldn’t help her case, but well, if opportunity knocked, she would simply be doing her duty as a normal red blooded teenage girl to answer.

“Isn't he?” Malia asked and as the two of them started chatting, Lydia clearly not interested, she began to focus on the noise going on around them, it was like there was something...

Oh no.

“Lydia, are you alright?” her mother asked as she approached, but Lydia didn't answer, frozen as if she had heard something.

“Not now...” she begged, knowing what the signs meant.

“Lydia?” her mother asked, and Malia had finally noticed that something was wrong with her friend.

“Hey, you with us?” she asked, squeezing her wrist and bringing her out of her reverie, her mother’s concerned face peering at her intently.

“Are you feeling ill honey?” she asked worriedly, but there was something about her face that didn't seem quite right, but Lydia wasn’t in any mood to find out more right now, not when she had this feeling.

Someone was about to die.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She assured her mother, running towards the stands.

“Oh that’s not good.” Malia complained, running after her, and Melody, torn between genuine curiosity and actually following her mission, shrugged and quickly ran after them herself.

“Hey, wait up!” she urged, leaving Natalie standing on the field, her face worried.

Lydia had just looked exactly how her mother had looked not long before she had lost Maddie, as if she was hearing everyone else wasn’t. It couldn't be happening, she had hoped that it would pass over Lydia as it had passed Lydia over, but it looked like she was too late to stop it.

Her daughter was a banshee.

“Mrs Martin?” Violet asked hesitantly, and she turned back to the waiting girls.

“Alright ladies, can you form into groups and let’s get this show on the road?” she asked brightly, not betraying her worries of what was going on with her daughter, and realising with a heavy heart it was now time to tell her stuff she should have told her a long time ago.

“What are they doing?” Stiles asked, his eyes narrowed in worry as the three girls ran towards them, and Aiden shrugged.

“Maybe they’re trying to convince me to take Lydia back.” He suggested, but he sounded far too hopefully for that possibility for them to believe he would say no.

“Yeah, like they’d have to convince you.” Garrett pointed out, the wolf glaring at the human who gave him a grin and shrugged innocently.

“What’s up?” Stiles asked, clambering over two people who shouted abuse at him as he did so to meet the girls.

“I have a feeling.” Lydia said in panic, and the way Stiles’ eyes widened, Malia figured this wasn’t a good thing.

“Really? As in a feeling feeling, as opposed to a feeling tonight’s going to be a good night feeling?” he asked insistently, and she glared at him.

“Obviously! I wouldn’t be freaking out if it was, the last time I got a feeling...” she whispered in a low hiss, and Stiles nodded.

“Aiden almost died.” He concluded grimly, seeing the look of terror that flickered over her face and vowing to decipher that later.

“What’s going on?” Garrett asked curiously as he and Aiden came down to ground level, and Lydia ignored him.

“I’ve no idea, but it seems like you need to be part of the cool crowd to talk to Lydia.” Melody commented loudly, earning her a small grin from Garrett and an appreciative one from Aiden.

“I have a feeling.” Lydia explained in a panic to Aiden, whose face dropped.

“What, now?” he demanded urgently, and she nodded, clearly on the verge of panic.

“Ok, should we call your mom over here?” Garrett asked worriedly as Lydia seemed as though she was about to burst into tears.

“No! Just...no.” Lydia snapped, Garrett recoiling a little as she did so, and Melody was looking at the exchange in silent interest.

Lydia may be a banshee but she clearly didn't have any form of control over her abilities. Perhaps they had overestimated her.

“Alright, let’s get away from the noise come on.” Stiles ordered and he led the group away from the bustle of the stands, Garrett completely flummoxed and Melody making a good show of pretending she was flummoxed if she did say so herself.

“This can’t be happening again, not again, not now, so soon after Allison!” Lydia begged, and Stiles took her face in his hands, looking at her intently.

“Ok, calm down! We can’t help anyone if you don't. Calm down, and just listen. Listen to the silence, we need to know where it is so we can stop it.” He told her, Aiden and Malia giving him a slightly jealous look as the other two just shrugged at each other.

“Alright, you’re right let me think,” she whispered urgently, wringing her hands, and Aiden, feeling he should be doing something, turned to the other two.

“You two should go back.” He told them, and Garrett shook his head.

“What and leave her like this, freaking out? No way!” he insisted, and Melody nodded determinedly.

“Yeah we aren't going anywhere.” She told him boldly, and he turned away in annoyance as Malia watched Stiles and Lydia together.

“What can you hear?” Stiles asked, and Lydia, who had closed her eyes, bit her lip worriedly.

“I hear...clanking, like glasses against each other.” She said, and Malia frowned thoughtfully.

“So either the canteen or the science labs, anything else?” she asked, hoping that just for once they could stop someone dying instead of just finding the body.

Lydia shook her head, tears in her eyes as she struggled to hear anything that could help them, and then she hesitated, cocking her head a little.

“There’s wind, it’s blowing the trees.” She said uncertainly, and Garrett looked around the grounds, pointing.

“Art room on the top floor, they’ve got glass beakers for dirty brushes and the tree is right outside. You can hear all this from here?” he asked in disbelief, and Stiles looked at her in alarm, they didn’t have time for her not to be sure.

“Could it be up there?” he demanded, and she shrugged, looking helpless.

“I don't know I can’t tell, it would make sense though wouldn’t it?” she asked, her eyes swimming with tears, and Stiles nodded grimly.

“Well making sense is the best option we have right now, let’s go!” he urged, heading off for the school, the others close behind him.

Malia glared at Lydia.

“Now that this is happening, now will you consider letting that Scuffock training you?” she demanded, and Lydia gave her a helpless look.

“Let some unknown woman who claims to be a teacher loose on me? No thanks, not until we can confirm if she’s a good guy or not!” she hissed, and Malia shot her an exasperated look.

“All I know is she’s offering to help you find the bodies before they become bodies, and that’s the kind of thinking we need right now, because otherwise, you’re no good to anyone!” she snapped angrily, and Lydia bristled.

“Hey, I’ve been dealing with this crap a lot longer than you have wild girl, don't you think I’m trying?” she demanded, and Malia gave her a dismissive look.

“Obviously not hard enough!” she bit back, and Lydia looked furious, and as they ran up the first flight of stairs into the school, Melody looked at Garrett, seeming totally lost.

“What the hell is going on?” she demanded weakly, and he just shrugged as Aiden shouldered their way into the school, before heading up to the first floor.

Lydia was shaking as they ran up the stairs, the pressure building in her head, the pain building in her temples, the noises getting louder in her ears as they ran through the second floor, bound for the next flight up. This couldn't be happening again, not after losing Allison, not after nearly losing Aiden, not again, not now...

Coming to a stop at the top of the stairs, Aiden took a deep sniff, let out a low growl and virtually flew along the corridor, the others hot on his heels as he skidded to a stop outside one of the art classrooms.

“The door’s blocked, hang on.” He snarled, and as Garrett took a step forward to help him, Aiden shouldered the door, resulting in a loud clattering and banging as the door blocking the door went flying and the group finally reached their destination.

Only to discover they were too late.

Hanging from the ceiling, a long noose of rope used to hang drying artwork from after a class finished it was tied around the neck of a boy, probably only a little older than Liam. He had a long fringe covering his eyes, his eyes open and glassy, his face red, tongue sticking out, his body rocking slightly in the slight wind coming through the windows, having clearly used the teacher’s desk beside him to step off and hang himself.

“No, no, no!” Lydia breathed, sobbing as she saw the hanging body of the boy as Stiles shook in fright.

They had been too late, and because they had been, they had missed their chance to save this boy.

“Oh god...” Garrett whispered, feeling as if he was about to throw up and he turned away from the scene as the boy rocked in the wind, trying to deny his stomach and the fact that his entire body was shaking, trying to ignore the fact that a kid the same age as him had just hung himself.

“Stiles...” Malia whispered uncertainly and Stiles turned to face her, burying his face in her shoulder as he turned her away from the hanging boy, making sure she couldn't see as he felt her claws digging into him, clearly freaked out by what she had seen.

Melody leaned weakly against the door frame, her mind abuzz as she considered all the implications of all of this. Lydia then let out a broken sob followed by a human scream, and a quivering Aiden took her, wrapping her in his arms as she sobbed into his shoulder, rocking her and hushing her as the boy’s dead eyes stared at them all in accusation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, a suicide in the school, not the way they wanted the day to go. What's the significance, how does it all link in?
> 
> Speaking of linking in, how does Garrett's story fit into the wider story? What is Melody's plan? What's Deaton's problem? And just what was Agravaine up to in the graveyard?
> 
> Next chapter Agravaine's actions are revealed, Jackson has hit kit off, and I think next chapter could be the last chapter we see grandma!
> 
> Comments and kudos are very appreciated, please keep them coming and please vote on my poll on fanfiction!


	13. Episode 3: Revenant Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agravaine's plot starts to take shape, the unexpected suicide has repercussions and the past haunts the pack's present

Two-Pack II

 

“Are we ready?” Agravaine asked as he took a swig out of his hip flask, and Malakai nodded, his eyes dancing with malice.

“Yep, we’ve done it. And Eoghan and Ciara are scouting out the place for later. How do you know we’ll need to do it though? I mean, if they do it...” he said, and Agravaine patted his shoulder.

“My dear boy, none of those are meant for our little true Alpha. And I highly suspect that they’ll be able to kill anyone in his pack, even with our help, they are simply there to play mind games. Remember, we can’t move too fast, at least not until the corruption of the nemeton takes a greater hold on the town, and that will require patience.” He said, heading to the sort of melted looking chair that he had made for himself and dropping into it, while Malakai pouted.

“It isn't fair, why do we need to sneak around like this?” he grumbled and Agravaine toasted him with his flask as he took another sip.

“Ah my eager little murderer, I know you’re eager to test yourself against the pack, and you will, all I need is a little bit more patience. A direct confrontation would undermine what I’m trying to do here, and that would make me angry, and as I recall, no one likes it when I’m angry.” He said, his voice still silky smooth, but his eyes flashed to their foul, burning yellow and Malakai bowed his head, looking cowed.

Agravaine sighed and beckoned him closer, Malakai going down on his knees beside his chair, allowing Agravaine to run his hand affectionately through his long black hair, Agravaine’s yellow eyes boring into him.

“I appreciate your bloodlust my boy, and I know these sorts of things strain your patience. You prefer to do things, and have no respect for the long game. It’s what makes you such a lamentable chess player. But I swear, a day at most, and you will get your chance to test yourself against the best that Beacon Hills has to offer.” He purred and Malakai looked up at him in excitement.

“Really?” he asked, the thought of blood enticing him as he got back to his feet and Agravaine chuckled, nodding.

“Yes my boy. Now, run along and do another scout of the nemeton, you and your brother are the natural choices and as he is with Bonnie getting us everything we need for our plan, that means you are my best man.” He purred, and Malakai grinned before leaving the building.

Agravaine watched him go. He and his brother Rhyley were the newest members of his pack, and Malakai was his most lethal servant. Tall, broad shoulder and well built, he was dressed in a black tank top with a turtle neck, revealing his bulging arms and the tally mark tattoos he had on his arms. Very loyal, there was only one person he was more loyal to than Agravaine, and that his younger brother Rhyley. Agravaine had taken them both from the orphanage that they had been in, bringing them into his pack and ever since they had most lethal additions to his little clan.

He appreciated his impatience, and his blood lust. But Agravaine didn't get to where he was, what he was, by being impatient. Above all else he was a very impatient man. He knew some of his pack, Bonnie mainly, questioned his alliance with Peter Hale. Malakai only questioned it because, as he had noted, he preferred to rip his enemies’ throats out first and think second. But that wouldn’t do, not in this case.

No, there was too much at stake. Power was to play for, the ultimate power, and he was not going to be denied now, not now when he had the key to victory in his grasp. Scott McCall was the key to the future. He had no care for the two great behemoths that would be fighting over the boy. No, the boy would be his.

And then, his future was assured.

 

XX

 

With both Natasha and Gareth already looking for a new hunt to go on while he dealt with his business here, Argent knew he didn't have much time. However before he found that arrogant privileged idiot otherwise known as Mr Whittemore (who had clearly passed his less than pleasant qualities onto his son), he needed more information.

When he had woken up this morning he had found a text from Isaac, informing him that the house had been attacked by a whist. Argent had scowled upon learning this information, whists took powerful dark energy to conjure, and he knew for a fact that it was far beyond the abilities of anyone in the pack, and he also knew that the Pombero and even this flying thing that Isaac had mentioned had nothing to do with it. Whists needed a connection, something had to link them to the person controlling them, more than just the malevolent energy that was needed in order to create them in the first place.

There was something going on here. Jackson’s kidnap, the presence of the Pombero and this flying thing, and now whists appearing in town, there was no way that they weren’t all connected. But if he was to make good on what he had promised Allison, if he was to keep the promise that he made over her grave, that he would protect her pack, protect the boys she loved, protect the town they lived in, then he was going to have to learn more. A malevolent force was clearly in Beacon Hills, and regardless of what they were after, that meant they were going to come into contact with Scott and his pack, particularly if Scott was the one they were after.

The town of Biddenden was close yet far from London, a small village of the sort that made up much of rural England. And it was here that he had come, seeking advice from an old friend. Problem was, that old friend probably wouldn’t be happy to see him. Well him in and of himself, she would hopefully be happy to see. Him, the son of Gerard Argent and the brother of Kate Argent, well, maybe not so much.

Off the main street there was a house that backed onto a heavily wooded area, with a pond behind the house. This house was the one he now pulled his rented car up to, readying his gun. After all, with everything his father and sister had done, and his own suspicious nature, going into a potentially unfriendly situation without the proper equipment wasn’t going to help anyone. He climbed out of the car, his eyes scanning for any potential trouble. Sensing none he walked towards the house, not able to shake the feeling that he was being watched.

He approached the door, and was just about to knock when he heard a round chamber behind his head.

“Not so fast.” A cold voice demanded, the cool steel pressing into his skull.

“Hello Amanda. Long time no see.” He said calmly, wondering if she was going to force him to take action.

“Don’t sound so pleased to see me Argent, I made it perfectly clear after that screw up in France that I never wanted to see you or any one of your family again.” She snarled, digging the gun further into his head, and he rolled his eyes.

“And as I told you at the time, I had no idea Victoria had found out where your informant was. Or what she was. Did you really think she wouldn’t kill a coinchenn? They’re dangerous, as you knew full well before you fell in love with her.” He explained, and she growled, but to his relief he felt the gun tremble a little as she pressed it into his head.

“She was harmless! She didn't want to be what she was, and she was useful to more than just me, even Natasha used her at times!” she screeched and Argent nodded.

“I know, which proves to nearly everyone that she was harmless considering how trigger happy Natasha is. And I’m sorry Victoria killed her, she wouldn’t have stopped to think.” He justified and Amanda snorted dismissively behind him.

“I hear that’s what got her killed.” She said coldly, and he felt the searing pain of losing his wife blossom in his heart once again, remembering as her eyes glowed blue before she plunged a dagger into herself, leaving him without a wife, his daughter without her mother, and his father with the way in he needed.

“You could argue that.” He told her, and she sighed, though he could feel the scowl replacing the barrel of the gun at the back of his head.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter. I might have happily killed your wife, sure, but your daughter...” she tailed off as he turned around to face her.

Slim to the point of almost being skeletal, her hair tied back in a severe ponytail, clad in jeans and dark clothes that accented her dark skin, her lips blood red, she stood glaring at him as if it was him who had killed the woman she loved.

“It’s good to see you Amanda.” He said, extending his hand, which she surveyed suspiciously before nodding.

“You too.” She said rigidly, and he jerked his head towards the house.

“When did you become Maggie’s bodyguard?” he asked, praying that she hadn't come here just after Victoria had killed her lover, he didn't want to dance on those toes again.

Amanda shrugged, uncaring.

“A year or so ago.” She said easily, though her voice was filled with hidden meaning, making him wonder, just why did Maggie, who albeit slightly older, was more than capable of outgunning any punk hunter she came across?

“Where is she?” he asked, and she jerked her shoulder irritably, beckoning him to follow her around the garden towards the pond.

“Out here, she likes to have access to all avenues of communication.” She informed him and he smiled in amusement, but then hesitated, if she was at the pond for communication...

“Then...” he began and she nodded, cutting him off.

“They use her as a consultant, which is understandable, she’s the most knowledgeable of all the hunters in Britain, and because of how the community respects her, she’s also the dispatcher for various hunters, so they contact her if they need a job done but want to keep their hands clean, or avoid any attention they could do without.” She elaborated, heading down the small incline towards the pond edge, scattering a couple of geese that were in the way, and Chris smiled as he saw a canopied chair, blocking the wintery sun from its occupant, beside the pond edge, little pieces of bread feeding the ducks that were quacking at the water’s edge.

“We have a visitor.” Amanda reported as they approached the chair, and the stream of bread petered and died, earning the occupant reproving looks from the ducks.

“Who?” a strong voice asked and Chris smiled.

“Chris Argent. It’s good to see you Maggie.” He said, figuring if she was going to go for her gun she’d have gone for it now, and all he got was a sniff of disapproval for his trouble.

“Chris Argent, and what could possibly bring you to my door?” Maggie asked, resuming feeding the ducks.

“I need information. For centuries, the Argents were experts on werewolves. The Evans family were experts on dogs, and that’s what I need help with.” He explained, and Amanda glowered at him.

“Seriously? Dogs? Do you have to rub it in?” she asked icily, fingering her gun and he winced as Maggie held up a hand.

“Well if you want to know about dogs...” she began, getting to her feet, and Chris reached forward to shake her hand.

A stout woman, she had brown blonde hair, her face a little worn, but she was still in excellent shape, clad in a warm fleece, her gun and a knife clearly visible and he knew full well she would have other weapons stored around her body somewhere. But as she turned, his hand faltered, as did the smile on his face as beheld what had happened to her.

Four savage gashes were carved into the right hand side of her face, running from her temple down to her jaw, her eye now a lifeless milky white, the attack, whatever it was, having ripped through the eye as well, the four gashes still looking fresh and real.

“Then you’ve come to the right place.” She said with a smile, extending her hand as he tried to get over the shock of what had become of her.

 

XX

 

“Are you ok?” Parrish asked a shaking Lydia as Natalie rubbed her daughter’s shoulder tenderly.

Lydia gave a weak nod as the coroner shook his head and wheeled the dead boy away, Natalie’s eyes focused solely on her daughter while various other deputies took the statements of the other kids who had seen the poor boy.

“Do we know his name yet?” Elba asked with a heavy sigh, he always hated suicides but one so young, at a school no less, that just made the entire thing all the worse than it already was.

Natalie sighed sadly and nodded.

“Yes, his name was Ewan. Ewan...Ewan Pilton, he was a freshman. He’s been off for a while, I had no idea he was this bad. I heard he was having some problems at home, but they were meant to be getting better, I don't know why...” she said, her voice cracking and Lydia squeezed her hand in sympathy as her voice shook.

Elba nodded gruffly, patting her shoulder and leading her away to get some composure while Parrish squatted down so he was eye level with Lydia.

“Was this a feeling?” he asked, clearly pleading for it not to be, but then she nodded and he deflated, looking supremely disturbed.

“I tried to stop it, I could hear it about to happen but by the time we got here...ahh, if I just knew how to control these stupid powers!” she yelled in frustration and Parrish took her hand, squeezing it.

“You can’t blame yourself Lydia, there’s no way you could have stopped it.” He assured her, getting to his feet.

But that’s the thing. She could have stopped it. If she had any idea on how to control these damn stupid powers of hers, she might have been able to save the life of a young fifteen year old boy.

“Lydia?” a hesitant voice said behind her and she turned to see Malia looking at her worriedly.

“What?” she asked, her voice lifeless, and Malia drooped a little.

“I want you to know I don't think it’s really your fault, I know you don't have...” she began, but Lydia shook her head.

“No, you were right. If I knew how to control these stupid powers of mine, then I might have been able to save him. I-I keep thinking about him, hanging there, looking at me.” She whispered, her voice shaking and a second later, Malia wrapped her in a hug as she shivered in disgust and misery, Ewan’s dead eyes burning onto her brain as she considered the full weight of her failure.

Melody looked at the slip referring her to Morrell with the vaguest traces of amusement. That would be an enjoyable session for both of them. Mind you, it could be useful. After all, Morrell wasn’t like other druids, she had different beliefs than the rest of her kind, taught to her by Talia Hale, who had been well respected even by the king himself (shame about her brother but you couldn't have everything). And besides, Morrell was formerly the twin’s Emissary, that alone made her a useful pawn.

But...something about the boy’s suicide was niggling at her. Having grown up in the Alcazar all her life, with legions of soldiers and servants coming and going, one of her mother’s fondness for sacrificial magic rituals, the other fond of offing anyone who annoyed her, and of course her psycho brother’s many conquests and kills, sometimes both, well, she was more than used to death, so much so that she considered it a slow day if she hadn't witnessed at least three deaths before lunchtime. But the boy’s suicide, something was off about it. It was just, a general feeling of unease that she had, but there was something clearly off about the death, this suicide. It wasn’t murder, that much was clear, he had wanted to kill himself, but there was something just out of reach...

Perhaps a trip to Morrell wouldn’t be wasted after all.

“You ok?” Aiden asked Garrett, who still looked very white, and the younger boy nodded.

“Yeah, it’s just...he sat behind me in biology, he never said anything to me, or Liam or Mason, but he was there you know?” he asked, his lip trembling, and Aiden wondered what he should do, Scott was good at this sort of thing, not him. But he asked himself what Scott would do, and he nervously hugged Garrett to him as the younger boy coped with the first time of seeing a dead body.

“Want me to take you home?” Stiles asked Lydia, and she nodded uncertainly, Malia standing by her shoulder looking anxious, and Stiles led the two girls from the room, Natalie looking as if she wanted to hold Lydia back.

No, that wasn’t a conversation she needed to have here. She couldn't reveal to her daughter everything she knew, everything her grandmother was, here at school, especially not right after she had just witnessed a young boy’s suicide. But they did need to have a conversation, and now that she knew her daughter had indeed inherited the powers of a banshee from her grandmother, it was too late to do anything else. She should have seen it before, the reaction to Peter Hale biting her, the way it all happened, she should have known she would become a banshee. But now, she had missed her chance, she hadn't warned Lydia. But there was still time. Judging from the way that she had reacted to the suicide, Lydia was still coming to grips with her power. That meant she had time to warn her, to prepare her, to tell her everything that she should have told her so long ago.

She only hoped her daughter would forgive her when she was done.

Garrett sniffed as he got himself back under control, and muttered an apology to Aiden who now that he had been struck with his flash of inspiration as to what Scott would have done, was at a total loss at what to do next.

“Thanks.” Garrett said, and Aiden nodded uncertainly.

“Hey, it’s always a shock. You might not have known him but you still knew him if you see what I mean. Losing someone you know is always hard, especially when you find them in, well, looking, you know what I mean.” He finished awkwardly, and Garrett nodded.

“Yeah I know. I’m too young to remember much of what happened to my parents, but that.” He said, his voice stopping abruptly, and Aiden nodded, looking grim.

“It’s a shock. Come on, I’ll take you home.” He offered and the younger kid nodded, then looked at Aiden suspiciously.

“How come you’re not as bothered by this as everyone else is? Lydia’s a state, Malia too, Melody’s off, but you and Stiles, you two seem a bit, different about all of it.” He asked, his eyes narrowed, and Aiden frantically searched for an answer to that question.

Stiles was easy enough to justify, but himself, without revealing his past, which as Danny had shown never went over particularly well, but how could he do it without bringing all that up?

Then he had it.

He pulled up his tshirt, and Garrett stared in shock at the scar that the Oni had left in him when it had run him through, the long, thin gash across the top of his stomach.

“A few months ago, I got ran through by a guy with a sword. After that...not much tends to phase you as much as it used to.” He explained and Garrett looked at him in awe.

“I had no idea, I’m sorry, I...” he spluttered, but Aiden shrugged.

“Hey, to someone who’s just seen a dead body, you’re kind of entitled to be wondering why I’m not as phased by it all. And Stiles, well, he saw Allison get killed, she was a friend of ours, the same guy who stabbed me got her and she...she didn't make it.” He explained, stretching the truth a little, the real reason was Stiles had seen numerous dead bodies around town and had also caused some of them as the Nogitsune but Garrett didn't need to know that he was freaked out enough as it was.

“Sorry.” Garrett muttered, but Aiden shook his head.

“Don’t be. I get why you’re freaked, after seeing something like that, you’re bound to wonder why someone else isn't freaked. And besides, it’s Beacon Hills. Crap happens.” He said grimly, and Garrett gave him a hesitant look before Aiden beckoned the younger boy, and with that Garrett followed him out of the room, his mind abuzz with what Aiden had told him.

 

XX

 

Isaac stretched tiredly, stroking the back of his neck as he laid out on the couch, watching tv, his history books on the table beside him. It wasn’t as if he particularly liked it when Scott was out, after all it meant there was no one to kiss or cuddle up to, but he also did kind of like having the place to himself. Allegra must still be at the library and Melissa was taking a reduced shift at work today, as the new doctor, Dr Dunbar (who he had figured out was Liam’s stepdad even if Scott hadn't) had all but ordered her just to work a normal shift and go home and get some rest.

Rest, fat chance. With whists and Pomberos and bird people running around the town, he had a horrible feeling the entire pack wasn’t going to get much rest for much longer. Despite the various comings and goings in town of the last three months, they hadn't had an actual crisis to deal with until now, but now, with the Pombero attacking Lydia, the bird thing attacking Aiden and finally the whist attacking Allegra, it was clear that their reprieve, such as it was, was over. He looked at the tv, currently advertising for life insurance, and he felt a significant shiver pass over him.

This was the first threat they had faced since they had freed Stiles and stopped the Oni, the first threat since Allison had died. Everything had changed when she had died, there was no denying it, and only sheer luck and Scott’s own stubbornness had kept Aiden from joining her. Now, as Stiles had so kindly pointed out after their encounter with the Pombero, the entire pack was now in danger again, very real danger and, it was like, something had changed. Knowing that Allison was dead, gone, it had impacted them all significantly, it was like the aura of comfort, of safety had gone forever along with her. He rubbed his arms to warm himself up, trying to stop himself thinking about it.

Sure they had had several close calls. Derek numerous times. Jackson after his final fight with Peter and Derek. Scott had been poisoned by Victoria, and almost killed by the twins. Lydia had almost killed by Jennifer. Stiles by the Nogitsune. And he himself by thousands of volts of electricity running through his body, but they had always somehow managed to come out of it in one piece. But when they had lost Allison, something in the pack had changed, something had been lost that they could never get back, and that made a new supernatural threat all the more daunting.

Particularly when it involved targeting Lydia (who attracted enough of her own amount of trouble) and headless dog zombies. This town had enough crap going against it, and the death toll was already rising with this latest batch of newcomers, and it was their job to protect it. But how could they protect the town when they couldn't even protect themselves?

Sighing, he got to his feet, contemplating getting his pen and starting his history homework. He did like studying with Scott, and the rewards were rather great, but he was also too interested in history to wait. Besides, he liked being the one in the know, it meant that when Scott stumbled or struggled, he got to have his way with his boyfriend, and that was always rather fun.

Isaac contemplated his homework, and decided that if he was going to get started on it then he needed to get something to eat first. He headed through to the kitchen, but as he did so, he stopped, something clearly not right.

The door was open. He had shut the door, and he had locked it, after all, the whist had nearly got Allegra and he had no desire to go up against a headless dog zombie. Besides, Melissa would freak and if he got so much as a scratch, Scott would freak even more. Isaac edged towards the door, slowly extending his claws suspiciously, wondering if he was indeed just being paranoid or if there actually was something to worry about. But as he approached the door, his nose got wind of scent that made him wrinkle his nose in disgust, it was damp, smelling of decay, of stale alcohol and smoke. Isaac quickly moved to shut the door when he heard a noise behind him.

Isaac turned, eyes glowing golden as he snarled at the intruder, vowing to make it rue the day it ever came in here to cause trouble but to his surprise there was nothing there. Alright this was getting creepy now. He snarled in annoyance, turning back to shut the door, when the source of the noise shoved the door wide open, his haggard bespectacled face sneering in disgust at Isaac as he entered the house.

It was his father.

“You know, I’m going to have to punish you.” He growled, his voice guttural and harsh and Isaac could feel his heart rate increasing, his breath coming in short panicked pants.

It couldn't be, his father was dead, he was gone, he’d watched them seal his coffin under six feet of earth. Jackson had ripped him open, the one good thing he had ever don for Isaac but here he was, his father, standing right in front of him, as if nothing had ever changed.

“No, it isn't you.” Isaac growled, well at least he tried to, but the fear of seeing his father again was making his voice quiver as he backed away from his dead father, who, other than the rips in his clothes and the mud on his glasses, looked as though he had never even died in the first place.

His father smiled as he advanced on him, the sadistic smile that he always used to get before he started punishing Isaac for some perceived slight or wrongdoing. Isaac prepared to pounce, no, his father was dead, he wasn’t going to let him destroy his life again!

Mr Lahey lunged towards Isaac, but months of training and of running for his life from various monsters had made him much more agile than he had used to be. Lunging backwards out of the way of his father’s grasping, gnarled hands, Isaac backflipped, landing cat like, eyes burning gold as Mr Lahey shook his head, the sadistic glint in his eye only growing.

“You’re only making it worse for yourself. Come here!” he demanded and Isaac rolled out of his way, rolling into the living room and making a run for it.

Mr Lahey took off after his son, Isaac panting in panic as his father pursued him through the living room. To his alarm, Isaac noticed his father was right behind him, and his father seized him by the front of his tshirt, jerking his face down into his waiting fist.

“Wasting money on crap like this, this wasn’t how I taught you to behave!” Mr Lahey snarled, Isaac reeling back, his jaw aching as Mr Lahey swung at him again, this time catching him a glancing blow and sending him crashing into one of the cabinets against the wall, shattering the glass behind him, small shards getting embedded in his back as he screamed.

“Look what you did! Get that cleaned up, now!” Mr Lahey roared, Isaac whimpering as he advanced upon his son, and he ducked just in time to avoid a plate that his father had grabbed and thrown at his head with all the might he could muster.

“No, you’re dead, leave me alone!” Isaac screamed, his entire body shaking in fear as his father got closer.

“So that’s a lack of respect as well. You know what that means don't you?” Mr Lahey hissed malevolently, as Isaac backtracked towards the window, wondering if he should just run for it, his mind swirling in panic and fear, his father was alive, he was back, he was never going to let go...

“No, I’m not going back in there, I haven’t done anything, leave me alone!” Isaac roared frantically, leaping at his father, claws ripping into his father’s gaunt face.

Mr Lahey screamed in rage as Isaac forced himself off him, running into the kitchen, determined to escape his father, his world spinning around him in panic, gasping, tears running down his face, pleading for his father to be dead like he was meant to be, pleading for something, for anything, for Scott...

Isaac then screamed as his father’s gnarled hand grabbed him roughly by the hair, pulling him back with such force that it knocked him off his feet, slamming him to the ground, whimpering and crying in pain as his father dragged him to the wall by his hair, slamming his head against it before pulling him up by the hair, Isaac whimpering, crying and clawing at his father’s hand but the hateful old man simply punched him in the stomach before grabbing his face and slamming him back against the wall, tears running down his cheeks.

“Really? Did you think you could escape me? Did you think you had friends, that these people cared about you? That you could ever escape me? I’m your father, and you, are nothing but a waste! You’re worthless,” he screamed in Isaac’s face, punching him in the stomach with ever fresh accusation, “pathetic, weak, no good, little piece of shit!” he finished, delivering a final punch and dropping a shaking, crying and nauseous Isaac to his knees as he struggled not to throw up, panting and crying, and he screamed as his father seized him by the hair again, hoisting him up.

“Scott....” Isaac whimpered, and Mr Lahey looked at him in disgust.

“So, what, you waited till I was gone and showed your true colours did you? Turned gay did you? We’ll see about that, you know I’m going to have to punish you more now!” he spat hatefully as Isaac struggled, trying to curl himself into a ball, knowing what was about to happen but he felt so weak, so powerless, so scared, his father was right, he was worthless, he was pathetic.

He then screamed as his father slammed the door shut on his shaking fingers, shattering the bones in them.

“Other hand you little queer!” his father demanded, Isaac still trying to curl himself into a ball, to make it go away, to make the pain go away, wishing he could go away but as he tried to protect his other hand, his father smacked him in the mouth, making him lean on his mutilated and broken hand, making him whine in pain as his father slammed the door shut on his other hand, crushing the fingers as he screamed.

“What? Did you think this boy loved you? Why on earth would he love someone as pathetic and worthless as you?” his father sneered as Isaac curled into himself, whimpering and crying, wishing it wasn’t true, wishing his father wasn’t real, wishing he wasn’t telling the truth, wondering why he had ever thought Scott could love him back, his father was right, he wasn’t good enough for Scott, he wasn’t good enough for Allison, he wasn’t good enough for any of them, his father was right, he was worthless, he didn't deserve to be here, to be their friend.

“Are you going to apologise?” his father demanded angrily, leering above him and Isaac curled tighter into himself, shaking, wanting it all to end.

“I’m sorry!” he screamed as his father pulled him up by his hair again.

“And you should be, you just wanted me out of the way so you could show how weak and pathetic you really are, couldn't wait to cosy on up to these stupid people, wanted to think you were something more than a waste of space did you? Well you aren't! These people would never like you, not someone as worthless as you! Did you think that even if the boy was just as abnormal as you are, why on earth would he ever settle for you?” Mr Lahey screamed down at his shaking, quivering, cowering son who was curled into himself, sobbing, begging for it to end.

“He shouldn’t!” Isaac cried weakly, and Mr Lahey nodded savagely.

“You’re right, he shouldn’t because there’s always someone better than you!” he spat, and then grabbed Isaac by the hair once again, Isaac crying and begging to be let go as he dragged him into the hall, Isaac’s feet flailing under him, trying to break free, wanting it to end, wanting to be left alone but as he saw what his father was aiming for he started struggling, trying to break free.

“No, no, no!” Isaac begged desperately as Mr Lahey reached for the door handle to the cupboard under the stairs.

“No freezer here, so this will have to do, now get in there and think on what you’ve done, and if you even think of coming out, you’ll need to be punished all over again!” Mr Lahey snarled as he threw open the door to the cupboard and dragged Isaac up so he was standing on his feet, before kicking him in the back of the legs, sending a screaming and crying Isaac stumbling into the cupboard, crashing into the hoover and knocking the contents of a shelf down on top of him as he did so.

“Please, no, dad, don't, let me out!” he begged, but to his great relief he saw that his father wasn’t blocking the door, if he could get free, if he could get out...

He made a break for it, and screamed in panic as a glass shattered on the wall right in front of him, peppering him with shards of glass that cut into his face, making him cry out in pain.

“I said get in!” his father stormed, and shoved Isaac back into the cupboard, glass shards embedded in his face and he shoved his son back in.

“No, dad don't!” Isaac pleaded but Mr Lahey gave him a cold smile.

“It’s for your own good son, and you know it!” he snarled and with that, he slammed the door shut, Isaac whimpering and crying, begging to be let out, scratching at the door in panic with his broken fingers, whipping himself into a panic and screaming in terror as he realised what a small, dark, enclosed space he was in, his father’s evil laughter ringing in his ears as he moved something in front of the door to keep his screaming, terrified son locked inside.

 

XX

 

Jackson was going round the bend. Yeah, he now had clothes, had put some weight back on, the wolfsbane was mostly out of his system and thanks to Danny his hair now looked perfectly cool and acceptable, but he was stuck inside Danny’s house all day, and since Danny had gone back to school, he had no one to talk to or nothing to do. He wanted to be doing something, he needed to be out there, finding out who the hell had done this to him, not waiting for McCall to get his ass in gear and figure out who was after him, he wanted to know who had done this to him, he wanted to find out what the hell was going on with his arm, and he wanted to get even, but instead, he was trapped indoors, playing video games and watching Netflix all day, and it was driving him insane!

Admittedly, he had started watching Game of Thrones and he had already finished the first season, but he didn't want to risk overdoing Danny’s subscription, at least until he found out about his plan. But even then, there was only so much tv you could watch in a day, and daytime tv sucked majorly (though having the American channels again was an improvement on endless episodes of Bargain Hunt back in London (mind you, he quite liked Bargain Hunt, which was a guilty pleasure he would take to his grave, but that wasn’t the point)) and he was going crazy being stuck inside all day, not knowing anything and just waiting for Danny to get home so he could find out what wise words he had from his wonderful new Alpha.

He scoffed. Scott, his Alpha, and Isaac, his prime beta. How ridiculous, at least Derek had seemed the part, but despite what he told Danny, if they thought he was going to be all nice and submissive to Scott like Isaac and the twins were, they were going to be in for a major shock.

He sighed, running his hand distractedly along his fauxhawk when he tensed, thinking he heard water dripping. He looked around musingly, trying to discern where it was coming from but nothing was particularly jumping out at him so figuring it must be coming from the bathroom, he crossed the room, he was going mad as it was, he didn't need a constant dripping on top of that. He threw open the door irritably, and he froze as he saw who was on the other side of the door.

Matt smiled at him, the disturbing, insane grin that he had on his face so many times when he ordered Jackson to kill another person who he blamed for his ‘death’, the one that he got on his face when he mentioned Allison and being with her, and he was standing there, right in front of Jackson, even though he was dead. The sound of the water dripping was coming from him, but he didn't understand it, he looked perfectly dry, his hair styled at the front, looking as though he was simply going out rather than someone who was meant to be dead. He smiled darkly as Jackson took a shocked step back.

“Hello Jackson.” He said in that fond manner, like talking to a pet, that he had always used when he was the kanima and he then lashed out, slapping him across the face and sending Jackson stumbling back, crashing into the bed and falling onto it, his former master on him in seconds.

Jackson growled in shock, Matt was dead, Gerard had killed him, drowned him, he was dead, there was no way he could be here, this wasn’t real. But as Matt’s hands clamped around his neck, choking him, Jackson realised that he was indeed really, possible deadly real.

He extended his claws, trying to raise his hands to claw at Matt, but the grinning face of his former master was mocking him as he tried to raise his arms, and for the first time since coming out of the crate, he realised just how weak he had become in the time he had spent in the box. His arms were so weak, and as he tried to raise them to force Matt off of him as he strangled him, his legs kicking beneath his attacker, Jackson’s eyes rolling as he struggled for air under Matt’s assault. He couldn't raise his arms, burning pain was travelling up one of them and the other was shaking like crazy, hardly able to try and hold Matt off as he throttled the life out of his former slave. Jackson tried to shove Matt off, but the burning in his arm meant he was only at half strength, and his other arm meant that he virtually had no strength at all, he had become so weak, so feeble. He struggled, gagging for air, his eyes rolling as Matt throttled him and rather than try to shove him off, Jackson plunged the claws of his shaking arm into Matt’s hands, making him recoil in pain, loosening his grip on Jackson’s neck. And while his arms were a lost cause, his legs weren’t, and with a powerful kick he sent Matt sprawling to the floor.

Jackson crawled backwards across the bed, his arms burning with internal fire and he let out a cry of pain as he felt his blackened arm surge with blistering hot heat, running up his entire body, feeling like his entire body was on fire as it happened. As his vision cleared, his blackened arm rebelling every second he realise he had lost track of Matt, who suddenly appeared behind him, knocking him back onto the bed.

Matt was on him again however this time Jackson was ready, and despite the flaming pain that was immolating whatever it was that existed within his arm, he reached up and forced Matt away from him.

As soon as he touched Matt’s skin with his blackened arm, both of them gave howls of pain, Matt leering off as his face seemed to burn with a white hot handprint for a second before it returned to normal. Jackson, his head pounding with pain as fire burned through his arm, feeling like he was burning from the inside out and puzzling as to what the hell had just happened, pulled himself to his feet as a furious Matt charged at him, going right for his neck, but this time Jackson was ready for him, shouldering him over his back. Matt gave a yelp of surprise as he bounced down onto the bed and rolled to the ground, Jackson taking advantage of his setback to leap onto the bed, roaring in challenge, claws extending as he struggled to fight through the pain that was consuming him.

But despite his confidence, he knew he couldn't last much longer. He was weak, his blackened arm was burning and the other was too weak to do any serious damage. And Matt...Matt had been his master. He had controlled him for months, using him as a weapon to exact vengeance for his supposed ‘death’. Matt was the one who had made Jackson into a killer. Matt has used and abused him, using him as a weapon of vengeance, ripping people apart for their slight against him, using him to carry out the murders he couldn't do himself. Matt had helped to make Jackson what he was. But Matt was dead, he had died, Gerard had killed him and had taken Jackson for his own. But now his former master was here, he was back, and he was trying to kill him, and worst of all, he couldn't do anything to stop it. He looked in panic at his arms, both of which betraying him as Matt got back to his feet and advanced, ready to go again and he gave Jackson a callous smile before he screamed in pain, blue electricity running over his body and Jackson looked into the doorway in relief as a furious Danny, armed with his cattle prod, glared at Matt.

“Aren't you meant to be dead?” he hissed, lunging at Matt as Jackson leapt down, ignoring the pain in his arms to slash at his former master.

Matt snarled in annoyance, not having expected to be faced with both of them and seized Danny’s wrist as he lunged at him with the prod again. He then seized Danny by the neck, Jackson giving a furious roar as he did it but before he could stop him, Matt flung Danny bodily from the room, Danny crying out in pain as he slammed into the wall outside his room then ricocheted down the stairs, whimpering and yelling as he tumbled down them with a final nasty sounding crunch at the bottom.

Livid with rage that someone would dare hurt Danny like that, Jackson leapt down from the bed, his claws going right for Matt’s throat, he didn't care that Scott didn't want his pack killing, as far as he was concerned Scott wasn’t his Alpha. He didn't care that he would be killing again, he didn't care that this was the one who made him a killer in the first place, he just wanted him dead. He roared in fury, his swipe, despite the immolation his arm felt like it was suffering, about to take Matt’s head off, but Matt swung at him, catching him in the stomach and winding him, and as Jackson toppled to the floor, wheezing for air, Matt ruffled his hair fondly and ran from the room, thundering down the stairs, making Danny yelp as he slammed open the door and vanished.

Winded, coughing as he tried to get everything to work properly as he got back to his feet, Jackson pulled himself up, one arm quivering the other feeling like it was burning. He looked at both of them, his own body betraying him with either pain or weakness, and leaving both him and Danny open to an attack by someone who was meant to be dead. His arms were shaking, one from the pain, the other just from weakness, and he wrapped them around his body as he headed downstairs, panicking slightly as he reached the bottom of the stairs, finding Danny in a heap.

“Danny, you ok?” he demanded, his fear beginning to rise as his friend remained unresponsive, but to his great relief, Danny groaned and sat up tenderly, a large bruise on his temple which he rubbed gingerly.

“Ow, no, the bastard kicked me in the head on his way out the door. Are you ok?” he asked worriedly, seeing how scared Jackson looked and Jackson hesitated a little before he nodded, but Danny, despite the massive bruise on his forehead, wasn’t fooled.

“Jackson?” he asked softly and Jackson showed him his two shaking arms, biting his lip worriedly as he did.

“Look at them, I can’t stop it, this one feels like it’s on fire,” he complained, showing Danny his burned arm, “and this one is just shaking and weak.” He explained, showing him the other, and Danny looked at him in fear.

“Jackson, that’s...that’s not good.” Danny said worriedly, taking Jackson’s hand to help him get back to his feet, and Jackson nodded.

“Too true. I need to find out what the hell is going on with my body, I just felt...powerless. I should have been able to stop...to stop whatever Matt was with my strength, I’m a werewolf for Christ sake. But I was so weak, I couldn't do anything, I could barely keep him off the time I did.” He whispered, looking untrustingly at his own limbs, and Danny bit his lip.

“Ok, this is getting us nowhere. Let’s get cleaned up.” He said, suddenly all business, and Jackson looked at him hopefully.

“And then we can try and figure out what’s wrong with me?” he asked, but to his surprise, Danny shook his head.

“No, instead, we warn the others. If Matt has somehow come back, let’s just say he isn't the only dead person who could be back and causing trouble. After we alert the others, then we can focus on you.” He said nervously, much more concerned with Jackson’s predicament than Matt’s reappearance, after all, there was no way he could be back, he couldn't be back.

But with whists walking around the town, who was to say others wouldn’t be back as well?

And...someone he loved had a lot of skeletons in their closet, and if the dead were somehow coming back, those skeletons might be looking for revenge.

 

XX

 

Malia had wanted Stiles to stay. After seeing that kid, Ewan, hang himself like that, well she hadn't even felt the need for sexy stuff, she just wanted Stiles around to talk to. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to death, after all, she had ripped her own mother and sister apart because she couldn't control her transformation, and she had killed plenty of animals during her time as a coyote. But, this death, unlike the others, there was just no reason for it. She had killed animals to survive. And, awful though it was to believe, the death of her mother and sister had been an accident, due to her being a coyote, but that still made sense in some way that this didn't. Why would this boy want to take his own life? It didn't make sense. According to Mrs Martin he had been struggling a lot but his life had been getting better. But the entire thing still didn't make sense, how could someone’s life be so bad that they thought death was the only out? And if their life was getting better, then why would they want to do it?

Malia sat on her bed, her mind abuzz. She just didn't understand it. And why couldn't they save him, how weren’t they able to stop the bodies becoming bodies, why did they always have to find them after the fact? It wasn’t fair, especially on Lydia, all she saw was an ever increasing body count that she had been unable to stop. Malia hung her head in shame. She hadn't been particularly understanding with Lydia. She did get that Lydia’s power didn't work as their did, but now that this Martagh was in town, didn't she stand a chance to learn more about her powers? If she was flailing in the dark as Lydia was, she would take any help she could get. She understood that because of Deaton, the pack were fairly hesitant to trust anyone, and Martagh came under that heading, after all, her appearance was kind of late anyway, but still, she was offering a chance for Lydia to do something other than find the bodies for once, and she just didn't understand why she wasn’t taking it with both hands.

Malia wiggled back onto the bed, wrapping her arms around her. Her dad had insisted that she had to go back to school, and regretfully told her that if he knew a bit more, and if he could afford it, he would get a tutor to help her to catch up to the levels of everyone else, after all, she was about eight years behind the rest of them, and she was struggling with school on top of everything else. She had Stiles, and she loved him, and he would do anything for her. Lydia and Kira helped with catching her up with some things, Isaac and Scott with others, and Scott was her Alpha on top of that. But...while the school thing was hard enough, there was everything else that went along with it on top of it. And now, she had just witnessed someone’s suicide, and it was bothering her.

Malia wondered if she should go and talk to Stiles. Bad though it sounded, he was more used to death like this than she was, and she just didn't get it, why the boy would kill himself, and why they weren’t able to save him. What was the point in them protecting the town if they couldn't even save some kid from hanging himself?

She reached for her phone, when someone knocked on her bedroom door. Curious, she stopped. Her father was out of town today, he was away on work business, no one was meant to be in.

“Stiles?” she asked hopefully, hoping he had come back to see her so she could talk to him about what was on her mind.

However as the door opened, the air left her as she beheld the person on the other side of the door with shock.

She was slightly taller than she was, around the same height as Stiles. She had long dark hair that ran past her shoulders, with red and auburn strands intermingled around it. She was slim, dressed in clothes of mottled colours, and her face was still quite youthful, if a little worn, with gleaming bright green eyes, and as she saw Malia, she smiled sadly.

And for the first time in eight years, Malia laid eyes on her mother.

“Mom?” she asked hesitantly, getting up from the bed.

It couldn't be, her mother was dead, she was the one who had killed her after all, yet here she was, standing right before her as if she had never been gone, as if she hadn't lost her life in the crash, which she had caused, eight years before.

“Malia,” her mother said, looking at her in wonder, “look at how grown up you are, how beautiful you became. And Stiles, he seems a nice boy. I’m so proud of you, of what you’ve built...off of your sister and I’s corpses.” Her mother said harshly, and Malia, who had been edging closer to her mother, hardly daring to believe it, recoiled.

“Mom, I’m so sorry, I had no control, I would never have hurt you if I could have controlled it!” Malia insisted, but her mother, who was looking at the picture of her and Stiles together when Malia was sitting on Stiles lap, scoffed, sending a look of distaste at her daughter.

“Really? So, you kill me, kill your sister, but you somehow avoid killing this Stiles? Can’t help but feel your family are the ones who got the worst deal.” Her mother sneered and Malia, tears in her eyes, crossed to her mother, standing in front of her.

“Mom, I’m so sorry! I’ve learned since then, I’m better, Stiles and the others, they help me! I’m so sorry mom! I never wanted to hurt either of you, but I did, and I hate that I did. Please, please don't go away again, stay here with me, with dad, we can be a family again, please!” Malia begged, tears streaming down her cheeks, taking her mother’s hand in her own and putting it onto her wet cheek, and to Malia’s delight, her mother rubbed her cheek, her face kind and smiling again.

This was her mother, she had come back. She didn't care about the niceties of it, she just knew that the very thing she had wanted ever since the crash, the dreams that had haunted her even as a coyote, were finally coming true. Her mother was alive, they could be together again, a family again, she wouldn’t be a killer anymore. Her mom was back, and she was here. Yeah she was angry at Malia, but considering what she had done, she couldn't blame her for that.

“Oh Malia...my poor little girl. I know you never meant to hurt us sweet pea,” her mother said, stroking her hair as she rocked her crying daughter, “but you did. Your father, when he finds out the truth, I can’t even imagine how he’ll react.” She chatted, stroking Malia’s hair still, but Malia, beginning to feel unsure of herself, pulled away from her mother, looking scared.

“No, please, dad doesn't know about me being supernatural! It would kill him if he found out I was the one...” Malia begged, her voice failing her as she looked imploringly at her softly smiling mother, a horrible glint in her eye as she beheld her daughter.

“Well yes, that would destroy him, that’s true. But that isn't all that would destroy him. Imagine if he found out the real truth, that the real reason his family was dead was nothing to do with him.” Her mother purred, and Malia looked at her in confusion.

“Wait, what do you mean?” she demanded, scared, and her mother laughed.

“You really don't know by now? Oh Malia...not only a murderer but a stupid one at that! There’s so much you don't understand.” She chided, and Malia took a step back, shaking her head as she finally realised the truth.

“You’re not my real mother!” she challenged angrily, tears of rage forming in her eyes as her claws grew along with her fangs and her mother clucked her tongue in disappointment.

“Actually I am. Your father on the other hand...do you think he would love you if he ever found out that a little outcast like you is why his wife and daughter are dead?” she queried, malice giving her face an evil glow, and Malia gave a roar of rage and leapt at her mother, who simply moved out of the way and kicked her in the back, crashing her into the wall.

Malia, her blood pounding in her head as tears of hurt, shame, rage and fear streamed down her face looked across at her smirking mother, who picked up the photo of her and Stiles, the first gift Stiles had ever given her. She remembered how nervous he had been, and remembered wondering why he wasn’t wanting to get naked and do stuff that they liked when he gave her it, and then remember his smile of relieved delight when she had told him she loved it and pointed out that it was handy for looking at his cute face even when he wasn’t there.

“Put that down.” Malia bit out, getting back to her feet, looking at this impostor hatefully, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t really her mother, even though it was, it really was, this was her mother, she had made her into this...

“Oh this? So, you care more about this boy than you did about me and your sister? What if I do...this?” her mother asked in a deadly, playful voice and with all of her might she shattered the photo frame in two, ripping the picture apart as well as she did so.

“NO!” Malia roared angrily, her claws going right for her mother’s throat, but her mother simply slapped her down to the floor, landing her in the shattered glass of the photo frame which she poked at with shaking, quivering hands.

“You broke it...you destroyed it.” Malia whispered sadly as her mother advanced towards her, towering over her.

“Just like you did with me and your sister. Am I supposed to care about this boy?” she sneered as she approached and Malia looked up at her desperately.

“Mom, I, you aren't my real mom!” Malia yelled desperately, even though she knew it was, it was her mother, but this was the mother that she had made when she had inadvertently destroyed her family. This was her punishment, what was the word Stiles had used? She looked at his ripped face and the word came to her. Karma. This was her karma for what she had done.

Her mother gave a cold tinkling laugh and squatted down beside her daughter, petting her shoulder, her face nice again but her personality anything but.

“Actually my baby, that’s not true. I am your real mother. But, you want to know the best part?” she asked, reaching to her back for something as Malia growled menacingly, about to rip at her mother, mother or not, her fault she was like this or not, she was going to make her pay. “I might be your real mother, but-” she gloated before she screamed in pain, writhing back in alarm, an action Malia copied as she watched a sword impale itself right into where her heart should be and slice into the centre of her chest, her mother’s scream cutting abruptly short as the sword sliced into the spine and her body collapsed to the floor, the flesh already disintegrating around the sword as it fell, and by the time it hit the ground, it was nothing more than a pile of blackened bones, Malia’s mother’s skull’s eyes boring into her as it settled on top of the ripped picture of Stiles and the knife she had been about to plunge into her daughter’s back clattering dully against the wall.

Kira panted in disgust, and then, glaring at the pile of rotten bones, crouched down to the floor and wrapped a crying Malia in a tight hug, wincing as Malia screamed as she saw what her own mother had been about to do with her.

“That was my mom, I made her that, I made her want to kill me because of what I did to her, she hates me, I destroyed her, that was my mom!” Malia cried, letting the broken shards of glass from her photo frame fall from her hands and crying onto her friend’s shoulder as Kira rocked her, hushing her.

“Shh. No it wasn’t, your mom is dead Malia, that, I don't know what it is, but it’s not her! That is someone fucking with you, and I promise, we’re going to find out who’s doing it, and then, we’ll make them pay. You hear me?” she asked insistently, taking Malia’s face in her hands and looking deep into her eyes, their faces right next to each other, and to her relief, Malia nodded.

“Yeah. What are you doing here?” she whimpered, and Kira, still holding her and hushing her, stroked her hair.

“Stiles asked me to come and check on you, he told me what happened at the school and said you were kind of freaked out. Good thing I did huh?” she asked, indicating the pile of bones and Malia sniffed sadly.

“Yeah. Thank you.” She said, her voice wavering, and Kira sat down beside her as Malia sadly played with the broken photo frame, but Kira let it lie, after all, she had just watched her best friend technically kill her mother to save her, even if it wasn’t really her mother.

“We’ll get you a new one ok?” she asked sweetly, and Malia sniffed and nodded, staring at the ripped picture of her and Stiles and wiping her eyes, only nodding, before her eyes glowed blue in anger at whatever sick game this was that the new big bad was playing.

“We’re going to make them pay right?” she ground out, and Kira nodded.

“Definitely.” She assured her, and Malia growled angrily, roaring at the pile of her mother’s bones in her fury.

“Good.” She snarled viciously as Kira hung awkwardly behind her.

 

XX

 

Stiles looked at his phone in alarm. He’d asked Kira to go and check on Malia while he cleaned up and got his own head on straight before he went and helped her get her head around this, but far from being confused or worried about the suicide they had accidentally witnessed, she had instead been attacked by her eight years dead mother who had tried to kill her and had played some serious mind games with her.

Stiles let out an animal snarl, it wasn’t a wolf, or even the sound of a fox, but it also wasn’t human, just like him. Someone had set out to hurt her, to hurt his girl, to hurt his Malia, and now the leftover Nogitsune inside him was crying out for vengeance, to cause chaos, pain, suffering, to make whoever did it, pay. He could feel it, the urge to hurt, to inflict vengeance, to inflict pain, and boy did he want to.

But no, he wasn’t the Nogitsune anymore, no matter how much of it was leftover, he was a human, and he would storm, he would rage, and he would help the others get even with whoever had done this to her, but he wouldn’t get revenge directly. That wasn’t him, he wasn’t a monster.

Well, he wasn’t an actual monster with powers, claws and fangs anymore, he was just a monster because of what he had done, of all the people he had hurt, because of the friends he had killed.

Shaking his head, he picked up his keys and texted Kira that he was on his way, closing the door behind him. He was about to lock the door when his eyes caught his jeep, and he turned to look at his car in fury. All the tyres had been deflated, all four of them, and he only had one replacement, and his poor jeep was looking rather woebegone looking all deflated as she was.

“What the hell?” he demanded, crossing angrily to his jeep.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened, a couple of thugs with a vendetta against his father had done this once before, only to be arrested for doing it again, and he had done it in order to try and stop the Nogitsune from hurting anyone else when he had been possessed, but this, this was all four tyres, come on, his girlfriend’s mother had just come back from the dead and had tried to kill her, he needed to get to Malia like five minutes ago!

As he bent down to inspect the tyres, he frowned. These hadn't just been let down, these had been slashed, ripped all the way down to the rim. He swore violently under his breath, checking each one, and he was right, all four of them had been slashed. He looked at the cut, it had to have been done with a knife or something, and he swore once again, figuring he should leave it till his father came home, after all, this was a crime.

Or was it? He stood up, looking in the mirror, frantic for any signs that he looked like he was possessed again, but could see nothing. Could he have done this? He didn't think so, no, he hadn't been here long enough to have lost time, yeah, he can account for every minute, more or less, that he had been home. He shivered, trying to shake the fear that this actually was him who had slashed the tyres. No, it wasn’t him, it was gone, the Nogitsune was gone, it wasn’t coming back, it couldn't, Isaac had immolated it, he was safe!

Shaking his head in despair, he turned away from the window of his woebegone jeep and was just about to get his phone from his pocket when he heard a whooshing sound that sounded very familiar, a second before an arrow plunged into his stomach. He screamed in pain as he was jerked back against his jeep, blood splattering up the side of the car as another arrow embedded itself in his shoulder, making him scream all the more as he slid down the side of his car, shaking, bleeding and gasping, pain burning every one of his nerves as his bloodied hands held the arrow in his stomach, his tshirt and jeans getting soaked with blood. Tears of pain were in his eyes, which were rapidly losing focus as he tried to retain consciousness, the arrow in his stomach burning in his gut in such a way that he hardly noticed the one in his shoulder. He looked down, panting in pain and fear, at his bloodstained front, the long shaft sticking from his flesh and he looked fearfully at where the arrow had come from.

But he didn't need to. As soon as he had first been hit with the arrow, he knew who had fired it at him.

Karma really was a bitch.

He looked up, his eyes sliding out of focus and back in with the pain he was going through, as she approached, looking exactly as she had the night she died, her face pale, her raven hair bouncing in the wind, her lips and nails red, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back.

“Hello Stiles.” Allison said coldly and despite himself, and being propped against the car, Stiles struggled to move away from her, fearing what was to come, trying to get his blood soaked legs to get him to his feet as she advanced upon him, crouching down before him.

“Allison...” Stiles whimpered in fear, and she narrowed her brown eyes at him.

“Miss me? You should...seeing as you killed me.” She spat, and she viciously twisted the arrow in his gut, her eyes boring into him as he reared his head back, screaming in terrified, frantic pain, blood gushing over his hands as she twisted the arrow further in, his screams echoing into the air as he found himself at the mercy of one of his many victims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone think I was getting lax at torturing my characters? And there's still plenty to come! (Malia's mother is played by Gabrielle Anwar)
> 
> On the plus side, my dissertation is now finished so with a bit of luck updates will be a bit more frequent, and in that spirit, as soon as this is uploaded I'll start the next chapter!
> 
> Until then though, kudos and comments are very appreciated, and if you could head over to my profile on fanfiction, still lordtrayus, and vote in my poll id be very appreciative!


	14. Episode 3: Revenant Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past continues to attack the past in the present, and Martagh gives Lydia an ultimatum

Two-Pack II

 

Ethan frowned as he looked at the text Aiden had sent him. A kid committing suicide in the school, and Aiden and the others walking in on it, that was the last thing any of them needed. But the manner of it all, it just didn't make sense. He had overheard the kid in question happily telling his friends the other day that things were getting better at home, that things were finally starting to look up. That was what made this all the stranger, he professed to have no reason to want to kill himself, yet now the poor kid was dead. It just didn't sit well with him, not well at all.

Come to think of it, that wasn’t the only thing not sitting well with him. It was like something you have in the back of your head, like a little niggling feeling, but whatever it was, it was small, barely noticeable, but it was there nonetheless, a general feeling of unease. He’d never felt anything quite like it, but whatever it was, he didn't like it, just this feeling that something, somewhere, somehow, was going to go wrong.

He sighed as he trailed through to the bathroom. The murders were bad enough in this town without suicides being added to them, especially by kids even younger than he and Aiden were. He tiredly rubbed his face and his quiffed hair as he leaned against the sink, looking thoroughly miserable. He knew his mood was bad before the news about the poor kid, and that was only really down to his own stupid fault anyway.

He should have told Danny the truth from the start. Danny hadn't said so much as good morning to him since he had found out about the high body count he and Aiden had racked up over the years, and he hated it. He missed Danny, and he wanted him back, but he had no idea of how he was going to go about convincing Danny of his good intentions. He didn't get it. Well he did. He knew that Scott was the exception rather than the rule, and while he had convinced most of the others to accept the twins, there was still the fact that the two of them were murderers. While the pack accepted it, that was because they knew and had more than earned the chance at forgiveness that Scott had given them, they had worked for it. Danny, having found out after the fact that the two of them had a rather high pile of bodies behind them, wasn’t privy to what everyone else had been and now simply thought of Ethan as a monster.

He looked miserably into the mirror. He missed Danny, he knew he needed time, space, to wrap his head around all this, and he understood that. Danny wasn’t like say Scott, who had simply become used to the bodies as a matter of course, or even Jackson, who had added to them unwillingly, no, he was kind, and sweet, and was much less likely to ever encourage killing someone to stop them. He wouldn’t hurt anyone, and finding out that the person he loved was actually a killer had to have pulled the earth out from under him. But that didn't stop Ethan missing him. It was that Danny was like that that made him love him. He had made him feel human, made him want to change, but now the very thing that made him love Danny, that made Danny who he was, was the thing that was splitting them apart. Danny now knew he was a killer, and like any sane person he was freaked. In his position he would be too.

But what if Danny never accepted it? What if he decided he couldn't date a killer? All he knew was he couldn't bear the thought of losing Danny. If Danny was repulsed enough by the knowledge that he was a killer to dump him, to make him as miserable as Aiden was now, then where did they fit in? They were loyal to Scott to a fault, and would willingly die for him, but, while Scott was part of the reason, they had originally only come back to town for Lydia and Danny. True, it had gotten them a pack, friends who cared about them, but the people they loved were the largest allure and...they just made it all seem better when they were there with them, and now, it looked as if both twins wouldn’t have either of the people they loved.

He shook his head and looked into the mirror, his thoughts still on Danny and what he would do if Danny said he couldn't be with him anymore, but realising his claws were growing in distress at that thought, he shook his head and splashed some water into his face, trying to use the cool water to calm himself down.

And then when he stood up, he saw only glowing golden eyes and blond hair before the curtain pole that the landlady had asked them to install smashed into the back of his head.

He was briefly aware of his body slouching down, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell chin first into the sink, bouncing off it and then collapsing to the floor unconscious, water trickling down the neck of his hoody as he did so. His attacker sniffed in amusement, and then clawed hands took a hold under his arms and dragged him through to the living room, Ethan’s limp body flopping about weakly as his attacker prepared for phase two of the plan.

 

XX

 

Lydia sat down on her bed, her head still thumping like it always did following one of her episodes, so to speak. She could do nothing to save that boy, and now he was dead, all because she was unable to control her powers. Malia was right, she needed to get a handle on them, and she needed a handle on them now, before she let anyone else die. She was fed up of finding the bodies, she wanted to find the people before it was too late, just for once.

But as she looked sadly around her room, she felt a growing sense of trepidation. That would mean one of two things, either she relied on this Martagh, who she was seriously unsure about, or she relied on Peter, who she couldn't stand. But either way, she needed to make a decision, because unless she learned to control her powers, people would keep dying, and all she would be able to do is watch from the sidelines as it happened. No, it was time to change how she did things.

And besides, she reflected sadly, it wasn’t as if she didn't have any reason not to do it. She didn't have Aiden anymore, Allison was gone, and she was fed up of people she cared about, in fact she was just fed up of people in general getting hurt. Where did that leave her?

She got to her feet, wondering about which path she should choose when she heard Prada start barking. Frowning, she wondered what could be bothering her little dog. After all, it wasn’t as if she was considering a life changing decision or anything, nothing like that. Rolling her eyes, and vowing to figure out what her next move was after she dealt with Prada, she headed down the stairs, wincing as powerful winds suddenly started battering the windows. She hesitated as she came down the stairs, Prada’s barking getting louder as she did so. The wind and rain were battering her windows, but beyond the boundary of the garden, the sun was blazing, a wintery sun admittedly, but it was blazing. What the hell?

And why the hell was Prada barking so much?

“Prada!” she cried in exasperation as she came down the stairs to see her little dog cowering in the corner, glaring at the door and barking loudly.

“Prada?” Lydia asked uncertainly, seeing her poor little girl cowering in fear as the rain and wind battered the door.

She approached her dog worriedly, wondering how best to soothe her, when the little dog turned and growled at her menacingly, her sharp little teeth bared and a second too late she realised what was going on as the door blasted open.

As wind and rain battered into the house, Prada gave a frightened yelp and ran off into the storm that seemed to be attacking just the house, ignoring her owner’s pleas for her to return, after all, there were dangerous creatures out there, and there were whists in town, she didn't want her dog becoming one of them. But right now she had other problems.

“Jennifer.” Lydia ground out, glaring at the person who had strolled through the door.

As the wind blew into the house, Jennifer smiled, her dark predatory smile as she strolled towards the banshee she had tried her hardest to kill.

“Hello Lydia.” Jennifer snarled, and with a gesture Lydia was blown over the room, slamming into the wall and dropping down in pain.

“You’re meant to be dead!” Lydia spat at her, trying to get back to her feet, but the wind had been knocked from her, and she was having trouble focusing as the Darach strolled into her home.

After her final battle with Deucalion, Deaton and Morrell had tried to find her, only to have no luck. Cora and Derek had also headed out to look for her, following her trail so far before it had vanished entirely. While it had vanished near the nemeton, the fact that the smell has vanished completely had led them to conclude that the wounds Deucalion had inflicted on her had been enough to finish the bitch, and they had thought no more of it.

Yeah maybe they should start making sure all the big bads really were dead before they came back and bit them in the ass again.

But while it was Jennifer, and she was clearly in command of some of her powers, Lydia couldn't help but think there was something different with her, she was somehow diminished, not as powerful as she ought to be. Jennifer however didn't appear to be that encumbered as she crouched down beside her, grabbed Lydia’s hair as she tried to get back to her feet, and slammed her head into the wall, making Lydia cry out in pain, stars flashing in front of her vision.

“You just had to ruin...everything didn't you? I was all ready, all prepared to wipe them all out like the monsters they are, and I would even have Derek helping me, but no, you had to open your screaming mouth, and let them know who I really was. You made me change my plans Lydia, and I can’t help but feel, killing your boyfriend wasn’t quite enough for you getting in the way of my revenge.” Jennifer snarled, and despite the stars in her eyes, Lydia snorted in amusement.

“Um, Aiden’s still alive. You might have killed their joined form but both twins are quite happily doing what the Alpha who beat you tells them to do.” Lydia taunted and Jennifer’s eyes flashed.

“What?” she demanded, and Lydia nodded.

“Yep, the twins are alive and work for Scott now. You know, considering you set out to destroy the entire Alpha pack, you only really killed one of them. What was it with you and Kali? Old girlfriend?” Lydia taunted and as Jennifer’s eyes widened in fury, Lydia kicked her in the chest, knocking the Darach off her and scrambling to her feet, Jennifer hissing behind her, and with a wild gesture she sent another empty QVC box hurtling at Lydia, which she barely managed to duck and avoid.

Dashing up the stairs, Lydia slammed the doors shut as she passed them, hoping that the noise would at least distract Jennifer long enough for her to escape from her. This couldn't be happening, Jennifer was dead, but yet here she was, with at least some of her powers restored to her, chasing her through her own damned house.

“Lydia!” Jennifer called in a falsely sweet voice as Lydia leaned against the door, wondering why, out of the entire pack, she was the only one without any weapons or abilities that could actually help her when she was in the process of being attacked in her own damned house.

Lydia was breathing heavily. Jennifer was back, and if the freak weather bashing against the house was any indication, she was nearly as powerful as she had been before she had disappeared. But she still couldn't help but feel that there was something off with her, something she was missing, and she needed to know what, otherwise she really was dead.

There was no way that she could get help here in time, and besides, only Scott might have a chance against her if she was truly back.

Lydia ground her teeth into her bottom lip. She was so fed up of this, of creatures, of dead bodies, of being the one who was the damsel in distress endlessly. She was fed up of being the one who was getting kicked around. And now here she was again, at the mercy of someone who would have quite happily destroyed the entire pack, someone who was meant to be dead.

If she got out of this alive, all this was going to change.

The door blew open behind her, sending her crashing to the floor as Jennifer, now revealed in her true, scarred form as the Darach, entered, wind whipping around her as she advanced upon the banshee. Lydia snarled and dived for the floor, avoiding the blow as Jennifer sent her tv flying at her, smashing it into the wall. Lydia let out a panicked noise and looked for anything she could use as a weapon, though to no avail, and she barely had time to throw herself to the ground and dodge the small bookcase that was thrown at her by the increasingly irate Darach. As Lydia jumped out of the way with a scream of panic, the case smashed through the window, spraying a wailing Lydia with glass as the case fell out of sight, allowing the vicious Darach to advance upon her foe.

“You know, you sticking your nose in is where it all went wrong. Yeah Scott didn't help but it was you who lost me Derek, you who blabbed to everyone and got me figured out. I had it all worked out. And then, you, my little screamer, came along and ruined it all!” Jennifer stormed, gesturing and sending Lydia hurtling into her dresser with a smash, the Darach’s misshapen face leering at her as she approached.

“Why, because I let them know you were the one going around killing innocent people?” she spat back, trying to get back to her feet, but she could feel small trickles of blood running down her back, glass impaled in her back from being blasted into her mirror.

Jennifer bent down, bringing her hideous face close to Lydia’s, Lydia meeting her gaze unflinchingly despite how horrible her attacker looked.

“No, because you ruined my revenge! I spent years planning, lying in wait, getting stronger, getting ready to destroy Kali, Deucalion, every single one of them, and right when I was finally about to destroy them, you come along and ruin everything! A banshee, here in Beacon Hills. Well my little screamer, this time, this time it’ll be different. See, by stopping me, Scott earned himself the promotion to the position of person I want dead most, and well, as Kali learned, and as you’re about to, I always pay my debts.” Jennifer vowed silkily, and Lydia let out a panicked noise as the Darach raised her hand, determined to finish Lydia.

This couldn't be happening. Jennifer was dead, and now she was somehow back, and now she wanted to kill Scott. Could she be the person behind the whist attacking Scott’s grandmother, it would seem logical if she was, but she couldn't help but think that there was something that she was missing, that there was more to this somehow. But that didn't help her now.

“Oh god please help...” she begged, pinned by Jennifer’s power as the Darach prepared to finish the one who she saw as the one who ruined her vengeance on the Alpha pack.

And then, with a vicious growl, the Darach turned away from Lydia, raising her hand warily at the window that was currently letting all the wind and rain possible in as a column of autumnal leaves blew through the window to the floor, materialising into Martagh, her staff in hand and her expression less than impressed as she beheld Jennifer.

“You should not be here abomination. Your time has ended.” Martagh growled menacingly, and Jennifer glared at her, her hand raising, clearly preparing to fight.

“Well, I’ll be damned, a Celtic warrior, here in Beacon Hills. A Scuffock, a Boudican warrior, here of all places. Come to save your apprentice?” Jennifer sneered, and Martagh shot Lydia an exasperated look.

“She is not my apprentice. But it doesn't matter, you shouldn’t be here, you are a twisted abomination of yourself. You were a powerful being once Jennifer Hale, but your hatred and need for revenge twisted you into this foul creature before me. Now, go back to your rest.” Martagh intoned, and Jennifer gave a shriek of mocking laughter.

“What do you mean, you want her to go back to sleep, how will that help?” Lydia demanded and Martagh let out a sigh of exasperation.

“No child. She is dead, she was killed, her presence here is an abomination. Someone, or something, conjured her, not realising the power of the thing they were creating. This is powerful dark energy, far beyond the abilities of any of your companions in the town. Whoever conjured her either has no idea of what this woman once was, or does know and does just not care. Either way, it is my duty to send her back into the abyss from which she crawled out of.” Martagh spat angrily, and Jennifer snarled.

“No, I’m not going back! I don't care what brought me back, but I have a job to do, and I won’t be sent back, and I won’t be denied again! I returned, and I will destroy every last vestige of the Alpha pack, and if that means destroying all of Scott’s pack as well, well then, that’s just too bad. He let the demon wolf live! He’s just as culpable, just as corrupt! I will wipe out every trace of the Alpha pack, and after what he did, saving the twins, sparing Deucalion, Scott can die with them!” Jennifer stormed, and Martagh merely raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed? An intriguing plan. It could work, if allowed. Sadly for you, I don't intend to allow you to accomplish your plans.” Martagh said simply, and twirling her staff around her, she moved like a cheetah, crossing the room in a blur.

Jennifer gave a vicious snarl as Martagh sprang, landing catlike in front of her, her staff sweeping out and knocking her off her feet. Jennifer fell with a hiss, her hand gesturing wildly, sending Lydia’s chair hurtling through the air towards her, but Martagh was already on the move, flipping away from the attack, allowing the chair to slam into the wall, sending the shards everywhere. With a gesture, Martagh swirled the various shards into the air with her staff, forming a wooden cyclone which she then directed at Jennifer. The Darach raised a hand, shattering the wood into dust as she did so, with a blast of energy coming from the end of Martagh’s staff, bound right for the twisted druid. The Darach gave a lethal cry, leaping across the room and slamming her fist into Martagh’s chin. Martagh allowed herself a snarl of annoyance as she twirled her staff around her, catching Jennifer in the head and then in the stomach, before she blew her out of the door with a gesture.

Jennifer slammed to the floor in the corridor, giving a furious scream that shattered all the windows in the room and in the hallway, and she directed them towards Martagh. Martagh span her staff around as a shield, blurring with energy, stopping the lethal shards of glass from getting through before sweeping her staff in a long arc, with the curtains ensnaring Jennifer. Jennifer grunted in frustration as the Scuffock advanced upon her, but Jennifer then backed up, slamming her foot into Martagh and knocking her to the floor, releasing herself from the curtains as she did so, trampling Martagh as she made her escape. Lydia emerged from her room to see Jennifer leap down the stairs, Martagh hot on her heels, a blast of pure white energy blasting a hole in the staircase as the missed the Darach. Leaping down a flight of stairs, Martagh sent several pure white blasts at Jennifer, the Darach turning with a furious snarl to meet the attacks head on, gesturing, knocking the blasts away from her, Lydia shrieking in fright and alarm as chairs, cupboards and tables blew apart in an explosion of white power. The final blast Jennifer caught in her hand before deflecting it back towards Martagh, angled so it would take out Lydia.

Martagh rolled her eyes in annoyance, flicking her hand outwards and Lydia toppled to the ground with a yelp of surprise as the white blast exploded right where her head had been. Martagh snarled in sheer annoyance, springing down the last few steps and slamming her staff into Jennifer’s chin. Her staff was a blur, glowing with white energy as Lydia watched, transfixed, the power of her staff slamming into the Darach and with a final elegant twirl, Martagh spun around, stabbing her backwards facing staff upwards, and Jennifer, who had been snarling in fury, let out a croak of surprise as the staff punctured her chest, white energy emitting from the end protruding from her back. Jennifer looked at Martagh in shock, but the Scuffock simply sniffed, removed her staff and flipped it around, before a final orb of energy blasted into Jennifer, and with a scream, Jennifer’s body erupted into tiny little fragments, the used decayed skeleton toppling to the floor like kindling.

Lydia peeked meekly above the shattered remnants of her banister, gulping as she saw the mess that the duel had made of her home. Martagh grunted in annoyance as she observed the skeleton that had once been Jennifer, and with a tap of her staff, the bones vanished.

“Are you alright?” Martagh asked, surveying the damage sheepishly, and started waving her staff haphazardly, things zooming back together as she did it.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” Lydia managed as her house continued to erratically put itself back together.

“You very nearly weren’t. If you do not learn how to use your abilities, to learn to defend yourself, what on earth do you plan to do with yourself? That’s the second time I’ve had to save you now because you are unable to help yourself. I am not your bodyguard, I am your teacher, but only if you wish me to be. Don't expect me to keep wasting my time here waiting for you to decide what you’re going to do with yourself! There are dangerous forces at work here, and your dallying is only endangering you and yours.” She snapped as the repairs finished, and Lydia longed to throw a diatribe back at her, after all, she had just been attacked by a dead woman, and her powers had been caused by a psychotic werewolf, and yes she did want to learn more about them, learn to use them so she didn't have to watch anyone else die, but how on earth was she to trust this woman?

Debating that with herself, she instead asked a question with more immediate ramifications, making the Scuffock scowl as she did it.

“What was she?” she asked, despite the scowl, Martagh did look as though she thought it was a good question.

“As I’m sure you know, she was once a Darach, as to what she was now, I have no idea. However it’s fairly clear that whoever dragged her from the ground had no idea of her power. I must investigate. Consider what I said child, and bear it in mind, because I will not save you again.” She warned, and with a swirl of autumnal leaves she was gone, leaving Lydia alone with her very confused thoughts.

 

XX

 

“So you’re lacrosse captain?” Dexio asked as Scott helped him lift a rather large Great Dane by the name of Charles into an overnight cage, and Scott nodded.

“Yep, and Isaac is swim captain too.” He replied proudly, and Dexio smiled, his eyes passing over Scott as he tucked Charles under a cover.

“Cool. I might check it out while I’m here.” He said, and Scott looked at him in renewed interest.

“What, did you used to play lacrosse?” he asked hopefully, and Dexio nodded.

“Sure did, I hate soccer but the lacrosse team at my uni was good and I played as an attacker for two years. I actually kind of miss it.” He told the younger boy and with that the two of them started chatting in earnest as they came back into the examination room, Deaton watching, a shrewd expression on his face.

As expected, the two made a good team, which from a human professional level was good, it meant after Dexio was a bit more settled in, he would be able to leave the two of them on their own and have a few days off. While that thought was rather blissful in and of itself, the fact that Scott, arguably the most powerful creature now in Beacon Hills, hadn't picked up that Dexio was of the supernatural also meant to Deaton that he had done the right thing. After all, one could never be too careful, and having Dexio here would be rather useful should things go badly. And h couldn't deny that with his father being a dick and the closest thing he had to a brother being Derek, well, Dexio could be a good presence in his life. And if Dexio thought he hadn't noticed the appreciative look he had given Scott when he had first arrived then he was sorely mistaken.

But even if he did like Scott, he was staying well out of it, he’d learned that lesson the hard way.

“Scott? I have that information you asked for.” Deaton said, though he sent Scott a hard look for how he’d treated him the previous night, he passed him the information he had gathered on whists and the Pombero, but other than smiling in thanks he didn't seem to notice the look he was giving his young protégé, to Deaton’s slight annoyance.

But that was after all nothing to bother about, after all, while he was very fond of Scott, there was no denying that he was rather oblivious.

“Have you got any idea of what’s causing it?” Scott asked, ignoring the fact that Dexio was looking at them both curiously, and he shook his head.

“None I’m afraid. There’s just no way of telling who or what is behind this, not without further information.” He explained, and Dexio was about to ask Scott something when the young Alpha suddenly froze, stopping as if he heard something that the other two hadn't heard.

Deaton looked at him curiously, wondering just what it was he had heard. The last time he had done that he had figured out that a cat had just gone into labour and had kittens appearing left right and centre, which had saved them a whole lot of trouble. But then, he was the Alpha, and he was deeply linked with many, if not all of his pack, so perhaps it was a pack thing that he was picking up on.

But as Scott’s expression quickly changed to one of alarm, his eyes glowing red, he was left in no uncertain terms as to what he had heard.

One of his pack was in trouble.

“Isaac...” he whispered in alarm before tearing out of the room, leaving Dexio looking at Deaton curiously as they heard Scott blast out of the vets.

“Um, is he allowed to do that? Where’s he going?” he asked, shocked by Scott’s abrupt departure, and Deaton frowned, Scott had looked terrified, and granted, if it was Isaac who was in danger, then Scott’s reaction would always be to act first and think later.

“Home.” Deaton explained, and Dexio bit his lip, looking worried, and Deaton patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry he’s very dedicated. Scott is a good lad, and his heart is always in the right place. He...you’ll learn that this town is very odd, and has people with interesting qualities in it. Scott is one of them. Believe me, he wouldn’t have left quite so abruptly unless he really had to.” He assured him, but Dexio still looked less than convinced.

“But how does he know he has to go somewhere?” he asked in confusion and Deaton smacked his lips as he considered his answer.

“You know how some people can tell when a loved one is in danger even when they’re nowhere near them? Scott is like that with many people, and when he loves someone, he loves them totally. It wouldn’t surprise me if he could feel something bad happen to Isaac even if they were at opposite ends of the planet. Trust me Dexio, Scott has a very good reason for leaving. You don't need to worry about him.” He assured him, and Dexio looked at him curiously.

“He really loves this Isaac doesn't he?” he asked, and Deaton smiled.

“Yes he does.” He assured him, noticing the slight disappointment on Dexio’s face as he nodded.

 

XX

 

Stiles shuddered in pain as he tried to pull the arrow from his gut, the pain crippling him. He wasn’t like the others, even though he had leftover Nogitsune of some sort left in him, if the thing causing the wound was still in him, he didn't heal nearly so fast. And as he now had an arrow in his shoulder and his gut, both of which were severely hampering the latent healing ability that he had, he was really wishing he had some idea of just what his leftover healing powers could do because damn this hurt.

After twisting the arrow in his gut some more, Allison had dragged him into the house, and he was now propped up against the kitchen door, a streak of blood having been left on the floor as she had pulled him in. She was standing above him, and it was all he could do to try and avoid looking at her, it was his nightmare, it had become real, she had come after him for getting her killed. He didn't want to know how, or why, all he knew was that she was here, and she was back for revenge. He whimpered a little as he tried to pull the arrow out, but the pain was too great, making him give out a low groan as she prowled before him, her brown eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Hurts doesn't it? See, compared to what you did to me, that’s nothing. Have you ever been run through by a demonic sword? Felt the cold metal burn your insides while the thing that you know just murdered you looks at you with those foul, glowing yellow eyes that make it quite clear it doesn't give a shit that you’re about to die? Have you felt the blood gush out of you, knowing you’re about to die? Do you know what it feels like, leaving the only person in your family alone in the world? Dying for someone you love who doesn't even love you back? I thought of any of them, that’s the thing you would get the most considering your pathetic stalking of Lydia. And do you know what it felt like while I bled to death in Scott’s arms, being held by the first person I ever loved, knowing that he was the last person I was ever going to see!” Allison screeched, Stiles screaming as she twisted the arrow into his gut still further, blood gushing down onto his legs and onto the floor, his head reeling back in pain as the huntress stood above him, breathing angrily.

“Allison, I’m sorry...” Stiles sobbed and she glared down at him, bristling at his shaking voice.

“Oh, you’re sorry? Well that makes everything better! I died Stiles! I died because of you, because you were a monster! And I was one of the ones stupid enough to try to save you, and how do I get repaid? One of your demon minions makes a hole in my body! Did you go to my funeral Stiles? Did you say anything? Or did you just sit there, thankful that you were alive and I was dead?” she spat venomously, and Stiles shook his head frantically.

“No, Allison, please! I swear, I never wanted you to get hurt, I would have happily died if it meant you were alive! I didn't want you to die, I never wanted that!” Stiles cried as she twisted the arrow a little bit more, making him scream in pain, his eyes rolling as he tried to stay conscious.

Although, a small part of his mind mused darkly, he had done this to Scott, so once again, it was only karma that it was happening to him. He needed to get the arrows out of him, then his leftover healing ability could kick in and he could try and get out of this. But, as he looked up into the tortured eyes of Allison, her brown eyes burning with fear, pain, anger, despair, he asked himself, did he really deserve to survive? After all, she was right, he had been a monster. He had killed dozens of people, possessed or not, Aiden and Isaac had nearly been among that number and the young woman before him was the victim who had had the most significant impact on the entire pack. One of their own, someone they all loved, dead, no more, simply because of him. Why should he live while she was dead?

Allison glared down at him, wiggling the arrow in his shoulder simply for a change of pace, watching in malicious pleasure as he gritted his teeth against the pain, enjoying hearing him groan as he tried to keep from crying out.

“You might not have wanted it, but it happened anyway. You were so keen to save Lydia, the girl you secretly want even now you’ve got a girl of your own, that I was just collateral damage.” She spat, and Stiles shook his head.

“No, Allison, please, it’s not like that, you wanted to save her too!” he reminded her, and she glowered at him, a cold smile on her face.

“You know, hindsight’s a wonderful thing. All we would have had to do to save Lydia is kill you, but Scott convinced us not to. You remember when you were all for killing Jackson? Jackson killed a hell of a lot less people than you did but you, you sanctimonious shit, you were all keen to put him down, telling Scott that death was the only way to go. Would you have said the same thing about you I wonder? You know Stiles, you’re really quite unpleasant at times, and I’m not even counting everything you did, killing so many innocents, nearly killing Isaac, and oh, killing me. Like the entire thing with Lydia, borderline stalker, and then being all jealous and butt hurt because Scott made out with her. Same goes for Scott and Isaac, do you really resent him that much? Scott’s still your best friend even if he is in love with Isaac. But no, you can’t stand any rival, was that why you went after him, hoping to drive him from Scott? You’re twisted, malevolent and foul, and always were, and your life is somehow worth more than mine? I died to save your life? How is that fair?” she shrieked and Stiles screamed in desperation, pulling at his hair in despair, hating what she was saying, and not wanting to admit there was more truth in her words than she was willing to admit.

“I’m sorry, please...” h begged, tears falling down his face before he let out another cry as she stabbed the arrow further into his stomach, making him cry, his bloodied legs trying to kick but with the blood loss and how weak he was, it wasn’t going to do him any good.

“You know, I considered hunting down Malia and killing her, so you can feel something like what Scott felt after your demonic friends ran me through, but I figured she had enough of her own problems. So here we are Stiles. The murderer and the murdered. And my question is, why should you live? We both know there’s stuff you’re not telling the others/ We both know you’re still a monster Shtiles. That’s how your friend the Nogitsune said it isn't it? Shtiles? So, how can I let a monster live when we don't know how much monster is left over?” she asked darkly, pushing the arrow further into his stomach, Stiles grunting in pain as she did it.

Stiles shuddered in pain, begging the pain to end. She was right, he was horrible, he was foul, he was a monster, and he didn't deserve to live. He should have been the one who died, he should have been the one they buried, it was what he deserved after he had killed so many, he should be the one tormenting the living, however the hell that was happening, whatever the hell Allison now was. He found he didn't care, he just wanted it to end, the pain, the nightmares, the memories of everything he had done. He wanted her to finish him, and he was about to beg her to do it, to force the arrow all the way through when she grabbed both arrows, clearly about to grant his wish.

“How do I know the monster is really gone?” Allison snarled, and to Stiles surprise, something changed within him, and she let out a yelp of shock as he suddenly seized her wrists with enough force to squeeze the bones together.

“Yeah, how do you?” he purred darkly, and her eyes widened in surprise as he bent her arms away from her, making her cry out in pain and with a savage, animal growl, he pushed her away from him, sending her crashing to the floor, her eyes widening in alarm as, despite the pain he was in, he struggled to get to his feet, blood still gushing from both wounds.

However, despite this sudden burst of strength, he wasn’t strong enough to get to his feet and he groaned weakly as he slid back down to the floor, leaving a trail of blood down the door, but taking advantage of Allison’s temporary incapacitation, he ripped both arrows out of him, yelling in pain as he did so before throwing the arrows clattering to the floor, glaring weakly up at Allison as he did so, her bow now aiming an arrow directly at her head.

“It’s the only way Stiles.” She said as Stiles shook, waiting for her to end it, but to his surprise, relief, and, ashamed though he was to admit it, slight resentment, a gun clicked behind Allison’s head which made her pause before she fired the arrow.

“Put the bow down Allison.” The sheriff warned darkly, his hand quite steady despite the formerly dead friend of his son being alive and well and about to shoot an arrow into him.

“I have to do this, he’s my friend, but he’s a monster. Scott shouldn’t have saved him, not when he let me die for him.” Allison bit out angrily, but John shook his head sadly.

“He’s not a monster Allison, he’s my son, and your friend. You don't want to do this.” He told her, and she hissed.

“He’s the reason I’m dead, he got me killed, why the hell shouldn’t I want to do it?” she demanded, and the sheriff looked at her simply.

“Because unlike your mother, your aunt and your grandfather, you were one of the few decent human beings that your family churned out, and you won’t kill unless you have to. The Nogitsune is gone Allison, it’s finished, your dad and Isaac destroyed it. It’s over.” He intoned and she shook her head defiantly.

“No it isn't, part of it is still in him, and if you can’t see that...” she began, readying her bow once again, but John moved, swiping at her with the butt of his gun.

The huntress danced out of the way, hissing in annoyance, taking the arrow from her bow and plunging it into John’s shoulder, making him yell in pain while Stiles struggled to get to his feet to help his father, shouting at her furiously.

Seeing that she had lost control of the situation, Allison kicked out, lashing Stiles in the chin and sending him crashing through to the kitchen while she turned, shouldering her way past the sheriff who opened fire, bullets barely missing her as she vanished out of the house and disappeared from sight.

John swore under his breath, and looked to see Stiles sitting up, wincing a little as he held his stomach.

“Stiles, leave it, let me see.” He chided, hurrying over to his son who groaned a little as his father dabbed at the blood.

“Dad, what are you doing home so early?” he wheezed, rubbing his shoulder tenderly and he looked at his son as he fussed over him.

“Well, this morning we got a call to the graveyard, and we found a load of bodies had been dug up. When we got the list, I figured something might be coming after the pack, but I figured you were safe at school, at least until I heard about the suicide, so I came home to check on you. When I saw that Allison was one of the bodies that had been dug up, I got worried that you might be her target.” He explained, and Stiles looked at him in alarm.

“If you thought we might be in danger, why the hell didn't Parrish say anything at the school?” he demanded angrily, and John sent him a chiding look as he forced him back against the door.

“Like I said, we thought you were safe at school, and the suicide probably drove it from his mind. And we’ve had a busy day, there’s been about five suicides in the town all day, so we never had time to get word to you all. If we knew you actually would be attacked we’d have let you know straight away, but how the hell were we meant to guess that you would be attacked by the ones that were dug up?” John asked, still feeling ashamed, and Stiles sighed, his father was right, how would they, would anyone, have guessed, that the bodies that had been dug up would actually attack them?

“Ok, never mind that right now, we need to warn the others, I can make an educated guess at who else has come back to haunt us, we need to tell the others.” Stiles said, about to rise, but John pushed his son back down, giving him an annoyed look.

“Stiles, she shot you with arrows, now I don't know much about what the hell is going on, or how the hell Allison came back, but I do know you need...a...hospital.” he trailed off as he inspected his son’s wounds.

“What?” Stiles asked, quite nervous as to what his father had seen, and how much had he seen before, had he seen him threatening Allison? What had that been, was she right, was there leftover Nogitsune still in him?

“There’s hardly a wound at all.” His father said in blunt shock, looking unflatteringly at his son’s stomach, hardly daring to believe it.

Stiles looked down, filled with trepidation, and saw, to his shock and slight dismay, that his father was right. With the arrows gone, the leftover Nogitsune healing power had kicked in and the wound had now largely healed, just as it had on his shoulder.

“That’s, that’s not possible.” John said in shock, and Stiles looked to his father, his mind racing.

He hadn't wanted anyone else to know about his leftover Nogitsune, let alone his father. The people he had had to tell so far were bad enough, there were too many. And now his father knew, unless he did something very quickly.

“Mustn’t have been that bad then.” Stiles said, shrugging, and John looked at him suspiciously, not believing a word of it.

“Stiles, there’s blood everywhere. You were seriously wounded, she had attacked you with arrows, you had arrows sticking inside of you, and now suddenly you don't have a wound at all and you expect me to thing that’s alright? No, there’s something not right here, so what the hell happened?” John demanded of his son, and Stiles simply shrugged.

“Can’t tell you dad, maybe there was just a lot of blood but it wasn’t that deep. Come on, we need to warn the others, and wouldn’t hurt to get Melissa to see to you either.” Stiles said, getting to his feet, his dad looking at him suspiciously, and Stiles felt his eyes on him as he vanished upstairs to change, wanting nothing more than to put off the conversation his dad now wanted to have.

Shutting the door, he leaned against it, closing his eyes. Allison was back, one of his victims, the one whose death had hit the pack the hardest, was back. He had no idea how she was back, but she was, and she was here to kill him. And the worst part of it was, she thought he was a monster, and now, hearing it from her mouth just made it all the more real. He should be the one who was dead, he was a monster, regardless of the Nogitsune being gone. It was his fault that she and so many others were dead, and now she was back to put him down like Scott should have done from the off, but he was too kind to do so.

He had been so close, so close to letting go of all of it, to moving on, to atoning for everything he had done but his dad had stopped Allison before she had put him down like the monster he was. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way, but he couldn't help it, because deep down, he knew that while the Nogitsune was gone from the world and he wasn’t possessed anymore, there was still something of it that remained. The Nogitsune, gone though it might be, was still in him. They weren’t just leftovers, they weren’t perks. He had been trying to deny it, but deep down, he was still the exact same monster as that thing had made him. It was still in him, like a cancer, and one that he couldn't fight, and one that was threatening to consume him.

He pulled at his hair in despair. The Nogitsune was still inside him, it’s power, it’s malevolence, he still had it in him, how much did it still control him, how much was he in it’s power? How long would it be before he hurt Scott again? Malia? One of the others? The Nogitsune had made him do things he had never thought he would do, made him turn on his friends, made him hurt, made him kill. And it was still inside him, and he had to do something with it before he lost control, before it killed Scott and Malia and everyone else he cared about.

Allison was right, the monster was still inside him.

But he wouldn’t let it win, he wouldn’t lose his battle this time. He wouldn’t let it hurt the people he cared about.

Even if he had to get Allison to help him stop himself.

 

XX

 

Aiden frowned as he considered what he had left Garrett with. For a start, it hadn't felt right, leaving him at the orphanage. He knew that was where the kid lived, but it was quite obvious that Garrett didn't like the fact that he lived there, and leaving him there after they had found that boy, well that didn't sit well with him either. His mind abuzz with what had occurred at the school, and Garrett’s situation, he entered into the apartment building, for once ignoring the fact that soon he and Ethan were going to be homeless.

He knew Scott would help however he could, but that didn't help them much, Scott had his own problems, and Isaac already lived with him, they couldn't rely on him to help them that much. Melissa was a help, meeting with them every week to try and figure out what they were going to do, and had half heartedly suggested selling their bikes, but seeing as that suggestion had gone down like a lead balloon they had decided not to go through with that course of action.

As he got into the apartment, his mind was mulling over everything that had happened recently. Lydia breaking up with him abruptly, the Pombero that had arrived in town, the attack of the whist, the suicide, and their imminent homelessness, along with poor Garrett being trapped in the orphanage where he clearly wasn’t happy, all of them were playing on his mind as the lift dinged. He sighed in annoyance, this caring about other people thing was nice and all, and he loved being part of the pack, but caring about other people, it was exhausting. Damn stupid Alpha being so nice and sweet and cool with everyone.

He entered the flat, but something immediately caught his nose as he did so. Usually, it had been the smell of sex coming from Ethan’s room, but no, this was different, besides, Ethan and Danny were apart at the moment, so it couldn't be that. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, when Ethan fell for someone, he generally stayed with that one person, no matter how lousy he felt.

Aiden let out a low growl as he threw down his backpack and helmet, the hairs on his arms copying what his spiked up hair was doing and standing on end. There was something not right in here, and he didn't like it one bit. Taking a sniff, he could pick up on his brother’s scent in the living room, but there was another scent, a sort of cloying scent that threatened to override the smell of his brother. Aiden growled, his eyes glowing blue as his claws grew, something was clearly not right here, that scent, it smelled of death, but there was something vaguely familiar mixed in with the smell, something that he couldn't quite place and it was bugging him immensely.

But the lack of any noise, of any sign of recognition from Ethan, that was what was really troubling him. Usually when he entered, his brother would, unless he was otherwise engaged with Danny, stick his head around the door at the very least to check it was Aiden, and then scrutinise his chest for any signs that his wound was bothering him. But today, nothing, and that, more than anything else, confirmed it for Aiden.

There was someone, or something, more in the flat than his twin, and that meant that his baby brother was in danger, so whoever or whatever it was, was about to learn the hard way that you did not mess with werewolf twins.

He edged further into the apartment, the scent really annoying him as he couldn't quite place it, and as the scent got stronger, he entered the living room, his eyes bulging in fury as he saw his brother.

Ethan was tied to a chair, a gag in his mouth to stop him from alerting his twin, his hands and legs tied behind him so he couldn't even use his claws, and by the looks of it, there was a little bit of blood on his orange hoody, which made Aiden snarl furiously, someone had attacked and hurt his brother, and pacifist Alpha or not, he was going to make them pay for doing that to his baby brother. Ever since their first pack had been ripped apart by that foul woman, he had always sworn to protect Ethan, and now someone had hurt him, and he vowed that whoever it was would learn the hard way that you did not hurt his little brother.

Ethan looked up at him in relief, practically screaming at his twin to help him, however as he moved towards Ethan, Ethan’s eyes bulged and he looked in alarm at Aiden, which his twin took as a signal that he was in danger. Wasting no time, Aiden dived to the floor, just as the curtain pole that had been used on Ethan swung around to where his head had been a second before. Growling in annoyance at nearly being ambushed, Aiden twirled around and flipped back to his feet, although he hesitated when he saw who had just attacked him and was clearly responsible for the attack on his brother.

“What’s the matter Aiden, don't like it when your victims fight back?” Erica snarled, her claws growing as she reading the curtain pole to attack again.

“Erica, seriously?” Aiden demanded as Erica gave a furious roar, her eyes glowing gold as she pounced at the other wolf, but Aiden was already on the move, moving to take the pole from her hand, his claws digging into her hand and making her give a screech of pain, sending the pole clattering to the floor.

Unbothered, Erica sprang at him, her claws going right of his jugular, but as he had learned when they had first helped Deucalion catch her, she was no great shakes at fighting, Boyd had been a pain in the ass to put down, but she had fallen without much trouble. Snarling in frustration, he caught her attack as she tried to rip his neck open, seizing her arm sand twisting around before slamming her to the ground. Erica snarled, but before he could end her, she lashed out, her claws ripping into his jeans and his shins, making him give out a cry of pain that dropped him to the floor, allowing her to regain the initiative, clambering to her feet and springing onto him, her claws puncturing deep into his chest. Aiden roared as she ripped her claws down his chest, blood blossoming all over his tshirt, and he could hear Ethan making panicked noises behind his gag, wanting to help his brother, struggling to get free, but to no avail. Giving an insidious snarl, Aiden slashed up at Erica’s face, making her cry out in pain as blood splattered him, forcing the other wolf from him, allowing him to get back to his feet.

“Alright, I don't know how you’re back, since Kali always made sure her kills were really dead...well, the Darach aside. But either way,” he promised darkly, “I’ll be thrilled to send you back to whatever hole you crawled out of!”

“You can try!” Erica goaded, her blond hair a flash of light as she went right for his stomach, her claws ripping into his gut, but he had the advantage, bending backwards to lessen the blow as he plunged his claws deep down into her back.

Erica gave a scream before sinking her fangs into Aiden’s ankle, Aiden roaring in fury as she did so, allowing the other wolf to get back to her feet, but rather than go for another attack on Aiden, she made a beeline right for a captive and struggling Ethan, her claws going right for his jugular. Seeing this, Aiden gave an intense roar, clearing the room in a massive bound, slamming down onto her with all his might, sending the attacking beta tumbling away just before her claws slit his brother’s neck. Growling like an animal, Erica rolled onto all fours, gnashing her teeth as Aiden moved towards her, his claws coming down to rip her head off, he didn't care who she used to be, she was dead, and besides, she had never been part of Scott’s pack, so he didn't owe her anything. Erica rolled out of the way of his attack, her legs kicking him in the back of the knee, dropping him to one knee, allowing her to plunge her claws into his side, but it was a mistake she regretted as he lashed out, ripping her arm to shreds with a slash of his own, making her reel back in pain before kicking out with her legs, knocking him onto his back, giving her the opportunity she needed, her razor claws going right for Ethan, who was still struggling to free himself.

Roaring in challenge, Aiden pounced on her, tackling her in the legs, but he was a millisecond too late, her claws ripping down into Ethan’s neck, spraying Aiden with his twins blood. As Ethan gave a smothered cry of pain and Erica crashed to the ground, Aiden pulled himself to his feet determined to end her before she hurt his brother again.

Running to the wall and springing off it, he slammed down onto her, his claws ripping to her shoulders, the female beta giving a snarl of pain as he did so. Bringing her leg up she kicked him in the stomach, but twisting with the attack, Aiden grabbed her by the leg and furiously threw her over the room, getting her away from Ethan. Crashing through the table they kept their homework stuff on, Erica gave a vicious snarl of annoyance, flipping back to her feet before realising that Aiden was on her again, his claws ripping a scar into her face and sending some of her golden hair to the floor. Lashing out she caught him in the mouth, but vicious to the end, Aiden sunk his teeth into her fist as she punched him, making his opponent howl in fury as he bit as far and as hard as he could. Savaging her hand, Aiden propelled himself into her stomach, flipping her up and over his shoulder, crashing her to the ground with a thud, and roaring in challenge he turned, stabbing his claws into her stomach. Howling, Erica reached up and grabbed Aiden’s face, wrenching his head as if to try and break his neck, her claws sticking into his face as she did so, but letting out a slight growl of annoyance, he let himself move with the flow, his body dropping onto her, claws sticking into her leg. Flipping to his feet he barely managed to avoid a swipe from her as she backed away from him, ready for the next round.

Aiden gave another roar of challenge, making a beeline right for her, but she dodged out of the way, her claws moving to stab him in the back, but using his momentum, he ran up the wall, flipping himself over and landing catlike behind her, his claws cutting into the backs of her legs, making her squeal in surprise. As she staggered, he swept his claws up, ripping her back and her clothes to shreds as he battled her away from his brother, and as she staggered around to face him, his claws ripped across her face, making her scream in pain. Sensing her weakness, he was on her like a rash, his claws ripping every little part of her he could reach, before giving her a backhand to the face with one hand, puncturing her side with the other set of claws, and then doing the process in reverse, Erica howling and roaring in pain as he did it. Determined to end it, he sprang onto her, his feet crashing into her chest, while he swiped upwards with his claws, knocking her backwards towards the window. Erica gave a feeble few swipes, but Aiden easily dodged them before plunging his claws into her stomach, and with a last vicious roar, he heaved her into the air with all his might and threw her screaming body from the window.

Watching as she fell with satisfaction, he watched her crash into the ground, the sidewalk cracking with the impact of the fall, and he snarled in annoyance, confident that even a werewolf couldn't survive that. But then, to his great surprise, she glared up at him, her golden eyes burning and with a mocking wave, she ran off, leaving the shattered sidewalk behind her.

“What the hell...” he complained, that was impossible, even a werewolf couldn't fall twelve stories and just get up and walk away.

Figuring he had other things to worry about, he decided he would deal with her later and rushed to Ethan’s side, panic gripping him, but as his brother glared at him in annoyance, he figured that despite the wound he had suffered, he was mostly fine. Undoing the cable that she had wrapped around his arms and legs, his brother swayed a little as he got to his feet, Aiden catching him before he fell, and Ethan cast aside his gag and glowered at Aiden.

“Took you long enough.” He complained without heat, and Aiden allowed himself a grin before he hugged Ethan to him, just relieved he was alive.

“You ok?” he asked, peeling back Ethan’s stained hoody to see that her claws had cut deep into his shoulder, just below the neck, but had missed anything too serious, which made him let out a silent sigh in relief, nuzzling his twin a little as he did so.

“Yeah, my head hurts more than that, damn that curtain pole is heavy.” He complained, and Aiden grinned, peering at Ethan’s head, wincing as he saw the bloody, bruised lump there.

“So I see. That was Erica right?” he asked darkly, and Ethan nodded, turning to face his twin.

“Yeah, it was. But how? Kali killed her, and even though we said we would never talk about this, in case Isaac overheard and killed us, we hauled her corpse into that storage room, she was dead, she didn't walk out of there, Derek carried her out! She’s dead, so how the hell is she walking around, knocking me out with a curtain pole?” he demanded angrily, and Aiden beckoned him over to the window, showing him the destroyed sidewalk, which now had the landlady of the building looking at it curiously.

“And more to the point, how the hell did she get up and walk away after being thrown out of a window twelve stories up?” he asked grimly, and Ethan looked at him in shock, his face clouded as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head.

“A werewolf couldn't have survived that, after all, we kind of dropped one off a building a few floors smaller than this one and they didn't survive either.” He recounted, and Aiden shot him a vexed look.

“Actually, you dropped him, you’re the one who decided we had an itch. But that doesn't matter, a werewolf couldn't have survived a fall like that, especially a normal beta, I doubt Scott could survive that, Derek fell two floors when we fought them in the mall, and it nearly finished him and Ennis. She’s not a werewolf.” He told his twin darkly.

“So what the hell are we dealing with now?” Ethan asked worriedly, and Aiden shot a suspicious look at the shattered sidewalk as the old landlady waved cheerily up at them, before realising they were waving to her out of a shattered window, which only made her roll her eyes.

“Good question baby brother. Good question.” He replied darkly as the landlady headed indoors, and Ethan sighed, figuring that question could wait until they dealt with their more immediate crisis: how the hell they were going to explain all this to their dear old landlady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, Lydia slowed me down considerably, so blame her, Jennifer did too though to be fair
> 
> But just what is going on with Stiles, and what does it mean for the future? 
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated!


	15. Episode 3: Revenant Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott shows his ferocious side, some questions are answered, Derek is caught in an unfortunate position and Allegra gives Scott some advice

Two-Pack II

 

“That isn't what I’m saying Melissa dear.” Allegra said in vexation as she helped her daughter lift the shopping out of the trunk, her ill gotten gains the first thing she picked out of the trunk, earning her a dirty look from Melissa as she did it.

“Well what are you saying then?” she asked, cursing as she chased the peaches back into the bag that they had escaped from.

“Just that it might be safer, and also less expensive, to cut your losses darling.” She said gently, and Melissa shook her head.

“Mom, no, before you found out the supernatural exists would you have advocated us moving down to San Francisco with you? I get that you want to protect us, do you think I like the kids trying to get themselves killed every night? We’ve lost Allison, we damn near lost Stiles, Aiden and Isaac and that’s on top of all the other ones that the kids haven’t been daft enough to tell me about. Beacon Hills is dangerous yes, but...much as I hate it, Scott’s now one of the things that means normal people aren't affected by the supernatural as much. Besides, I have a horrible feeling that even if we did leave town, the problems would only follow Scott, since he’s a true Alpha. And you always taught both me and Scott to stand up for ourselves, to stand our ground, how would that look if we upped and abandoned town simply because of the side order of supernatural crap?” Melissa pointed out, and Allegra had to admit, that was a good argument if nothing else.

“I suppose you’re right. And, before you go there I know the house, but still...” she sighed, and Melissa nodded.

“I know mom, but if you reckon we can salvage it, then we’ll be fine...I hope.” She said awkwardly, and Allegra nodded, though she did look slightly put out.

“I know, but still, it’s a thought, if it gets a bit too much around here, you’re more than welcome to come for a visit. Besides, it’s been a while since you two had a break, and Isaac is more than welcome to come along as well of course.” She said fondly, and Melissa smiled, amused at the thought.

“Yeah, like Scott would leave him behind even if you wanted him to, honestly, when it was only Stiles I had to worry about him not wanting to go anywhere without I could cope, but now it’s an entire pack’s worth of them.” She complained, and Allegra smirked.

“And you used to complain he had so few friends, for shame darling. Oh, and if you came to visit, well, you’d be welcome to bring the good sheriff...and his rather attractive young deputy if you so desired.” She said musingly, looking wistfully into space and Melissa swatted her mother on the arm.

“Mother!” she chided and Allegra shot her an amused look.

“Hey, this town has always attracted gorgeous guys, why should I miss out simply because I live in the city?” she asked innocently, and Melissa laughed as she heaved the last bag out of the car.

“Well me coming with John would let the cat out of the bag, and we’re not ready for our actual kids to know yet, and besides, I agree with Isaac, I want to see how long it’ll take Scott to notice without us telling him.” She said with a grin, and Allegra laughed.

“Darling, you’d need to be walking down the aisle before he twigged. I love the boy to bits, but honestly, sloths are quicker on the uptake than he is.” She lamented, as she chanced a look at the door, and suddenly stopped, her face going clouded.

Melissa, who had been about to ask her if she had had any luck talking to the boys, noticed her mother’s preoccupation and looked at her curiously.

“Mom, what is it?” she asked, noticing her mother tense.

“The front door is open, look.” She said worriedly, and slightly worried herself now, Melissa followed her gaze, seeing that her door was indeed ajar.

It was a mark of how used she was to supernatural occurrences that her first thought wasn’t that someone might have robbed the house, besides, they had very little worth stealing, particularly if an intrepid burglar had noticed their car had seen better days. But Isaac was in, and surely any normal robber would be scared off by a rather annoyed werewolf, even if he was a teenager. But ever since the whist had attacked her mother, she had been expecting some other creature to come along, and now, she had a feeling that there was something else in her house that shouldn’t be. She exchanged a dark look with her mother, and figuring discretion was better than valour, she took her baseball bat out of the trunk as her mother drew her gun, both of them advancing towards the house, fearful of whatever fresh hell they might find.

“We’ll look a right pair of dickie doo daas if Isaac just didn't close it properly.” Allegra whispered as Melissa readied her bat, straining her ears, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction but she was sure she could hear something that sounded an awful lot like screaming.

“He wouldn’t, he knows if he did, I’d tell him off and so would Scott. No, I think we can rule out purposely not closing it, true it could be an accident but the damn whist somehow got in, and we have no idea how it did that, why not something else? Now hush, I think I hear something.” She hissed, and Allegra went quiet, turning her better ear towards the house as they advanced, and as they got closer, Melissa was sure she heard it, the sounds of someone whimpering, begging, crying, screaming and her eyes flashed in fury, and a few paces more, Allegra’s did as well.

It was Isaac they were hearing, he was screaming, panicking, and blistering, red hot fury flooded her as she heard it, that was one of her kids in there, one of her kids was being hurt, tortured by the sounds of it, and all she wanted to do now was rip apart whoever it was who was doing it to him. She readied her bat, beckoning to her equally furious mother, who readied her gun, about to barge into the house when a roaring came from up the street. Turning to see the source of commotion, they saw a white and green streak come to a stop at the bottom of the drive with her son leaping from the bike before it had even really come to a complete stop. Throwing his helmet off, both women then saw her son for what he really was: an incredibly powerful force of nature, who had realised that the person he loved was in danger. His fangs were extended, his eyes glowing deadly crimson, his claws already fully extended, and a look of such fury was on his face that Melissa was sure she had never seen her son this angry before. With a savage roar, Scott bounded up the path and slammed into the door, bursting it back against the wall and the two women followed his lead as Scott stood in the doorway, seething angrily, snarling viciously as he sent a deadly glare at the person in the house who shouldn’t be.

Entering and flanking Scott, Melissa’s eyes widened in shock, quickly followed by revulsion as she realised just who it was who she was seeing, she had seen the bastard around the hospital enough to know who he was, even though she had never made the connection before it was too late and Isaac came into her and Scott’s life.

It was Isaac’s father.

He was standing looking at them, his face coloured with disgust, his hateful eyes narrowed at them as he faced the full wrath of the McCall family as he leaned against the unit that he had put against the door to the cupboard under the stairs, from which they could hear Isaac’s frightened and panicked cries coming from inside.

“Put your hands in the air and move away from the unit!” Allegra spat, shocked that anyone could lock someone in a cupboard and still manage to ignore all the noise a frantic Isaac was making, watching Scott with half an eye because it was clear that Scott was preparing to pounce.

“Mom, shoot him!” Melissa barked angrily, and Allegra shook her head.

“I’m not going to shoot him Melissa!”

“Grandma, he’s already dead, murder the bastard!” Scott roared furiously, saliva coming from his mouth and Mr Lahey looked at them, supremely unconcerned.

“So you took in the waste of space that’s my son? Why bother, he’s worthless, pathetic, and I take it you’re the little queer that convinced him someone actually loves him?” he growled darkly, taking pleasure in taunting them and Allegra snarled angrily, moving in front of her grandson and her daughter, both of whom seemed willing to be let off their leashes and rip the man into shreds.

“I told you, move away and get your hands in the air, and considering you’re outnumbered and outgunned, keep your mouth shut!” she commanded furiously, and Melissa shook her head urgently, wanting to smash his skull in with her bat.

“Mom, he’s already dead, Jackson killed him last year, he’s a zombie, shoot him!” she bellowed and Allegra briefly turned to look at her in shock, zombie dogs was one thing, but zombie people were another matter entirely, but Mr Lahey then drew her attention back to him with a snort.

“Seriously, all this for him? He’s pathetic, worthless, and he likes boys, he couldn't wait till he got me killed so he could indulge himself in all your stupid little fads, I treated him right, this is for his own good you know, he needs to be punished! I’m only doing it because he won’t turn out right if I don't!” he yelled at them and Melissa narrowed her eyes dangerously.

“Actually, that kid turned out alright despite everything you did to him you foul, selfish, hateful, twisted old man! Get away from that unit and let him out!” she screamed, raising her bat to threaten him, and he laughed.

“Not until he’s learned his lesson.” He retorted smugly, Melissa’s heart breaking as she heard Isaac whimpering behind the door.

“Move. Now.” Scott ordered, his eyes flashing red and Lahey scoffed at him.

“Why don't you make me you little shit? You need to learn respect, maybe I should make you watch as I punish Isaac, you hear that you worthless piece of crap? Your little boyfriend actually wants me to punish you, maybe I should find a nice big freezer so he can watch, maybe give himself a treat as he sees his worthless so called boyfriend treated like the piece of shit he is!” he roared, and Isaac let out a high pitched cry, and that broke any hope of doing this nicely, as Melissa was suddenly consumed with such an all consuming rage as she had never felt, hearing Isaac cry and sob in such pain and fear, she lost it totally.

“Mom, if you won’t shoot the bastard...Scott, sic him!” she screeched, but she was already too late as her mother, rage billowing off of her , opened fire, bullets lancing into Lahey who grunted in pain as they impacted.

To her great surprise, she had also moved, her bat swinging right into Lahey’s skull, knocking the foul, loathsome man off his feet and slamming him to the ground, shattering his glasses into his face as her mother’s gun went off again, bullets puncturing into his body as he fell as she fired from behind her. Consumed by rage, Melissa and Allegra moved into the room, Melissa crashing the bat down into Lahey’s knees, making the man scream in pain as she brought back the bat to finish the bastard.

And then to her everlasting shock, he got back to his feet, seized the bat with a furious snarl, and swung it at her, forcing her to dive to the floor to avoid it, and he then swung the bat at Allegra who shrieked and moved back, her gun emptying into him but the bullets did nothing to stop him as the hateful zombie bore down on them.

“Scott!” Melissa cried, as there was suddenly a sound of great scraping as the unit blocking Isaac in was removed and a deafening roar filled the house as the cupboard door shattered around Scott’s fist, revealing a screaming Isaac and the furious Alpha, now finished freeing his boyfriend, gave a savage roar and sprang up the corridor, his lethal claws ripping into Lahey before he could further harm someone he loved.

Lahey roared in pain as the Alpha slashed into him, Scott all rage as he pummelled the man who had destroyed Isaac so much over the course of his life. Frightened by her son’s display, and quite eager to vacate the room, she scrambled out of the kitchen with her mother, wrapping Isaac, who had fallen out of the cupboard and was curled up into a ball, screaming and crying, protecting his body as much as he could, in her arms, rocking him and trying to soothe him while Allegra picked up her gun, got another cartridge ready and knelt, poised, ready to shoot Lahey again if the chance presented itself while she rubbed Isaac’s back as he wrapped his arms around his head to try and protect himself from any further attack from his father.

Scott was the angriest Melissa had ever seen him, in fact it seemed he was so angry that there was a shimmering field of heat rippling around him, his anger burning so hot it was warping the air around him. His eyes were burning red, his fangs dripping, his claws and hands were covered in Lahey’s blood, and he was moving like lightning, punching, kicking, biting, clawing, anything he could do he was doing it to the man who had destroyed Isaac’s life while Isaac continued to scream and cry behind him, the sound rending Scott’s heart in two, and he was determined he would never let this man, alive or dead, ever hurt Isaac in such a way again.

With a defiant roar Scott allowed the decimated body of Mr Lahey to topple back, the man drowning in his own fake blood, glowering up at Scott hatefully.

“He’ll ruin your life, just like he did mine.” He spat at Scott, and Scott snarled, the room quaking as if in fear at the sound Melissa hadn't even knew her son could make, and Scott grabbed Lahey’s neck, his fangs filling his mouth, his red eyes burning.

“No, you ruined his. But, alive or dead, you are never touching Isaac again.” Scott promised, sounding as if his mouth was filled with fangs to the extent that it was difficult for him to talk properly, and with that Scott raised Lahey into the air, the man screaming in pain and impotent rage, shouting incoherently about Isaac, and Melissa and Allegra watched in transfixed horror as Scott gave a final savage roar and ripped Lahey’s screaming body apart, the zombie toppling to the ground, the flesh vanishing as the shattered skeleton sprinkled to the ground, and Scott furiously crushed the skull between his claws, shattering it into dust, breathing heavily as he tried to calm down, which would be a lot easier if Isaac wasn’t still screaming and crying behind him.

“Isaac, calm down honey, come on, calm down, he’s gone.” Melissa insisted, trying to calm him down but he only screamed in fright as she tried to pry his arms from being wrapped around, curling tighter into himself as if to protect himself from any possible attack.

Scott, still seething and breathing heavily, turned his still red eyes onto Melissa and Allegra as they tried to calm Isaac down, and Allegra gave him a wary look but he simply crossed to them and sank down in front of Isaac, taking his face in his hands.

“Isaac, he’s gone, he isn't coming back, you need to calm down honey!” he pleaded but Isaac merely tried to back away, crying and panicking, Scott wincing as his claws ripped into his hands since he was so agitated.

“Scott, he isn't calming down.” Allegra told him worriedly, narrowly avoiding it as Isaac let out a half hearted panicked growl and clawed out the way, clearly aiming for the direction of the voice.

“Sweetheart we aren't going to hurt you, you need to relax sweetie.” Melissa begged, though she had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen without her help, and her face clouded over as she considered it.

“No, I’m sorry, leave me alone, I won’t do it again!” Isaac cried, the very sound of how scared and anxious he sounded as he begged breaking all three of their hearts.

“Isaac, he’s gone, you’re safe, it’s us!” Scott insisted, but it was clear that despite now being free of the cupboard, he was still convinced that he was under attack, that his father was there and out to hurt him.

“No...no...leave me alone, I know I’m worthless...” Isaac sobbed into his knees as he cried, and Scott snarled again, while Allegra shot a filthy look at the skeleton in the next room, bastard deserved the same thing happening all over again before she looked at Scott pleadingly.

“Can’t you do an Alpha thing to calm him down, or a boyfriend thing?” she asked desperately, because it was breaking her heart to see him like this, and Scott bit his lip.

“I don't know, I could Alpha him, but that involves roaring and asserting my dominance, I don't think that would help calm him down, it’ll probably just make him worse, and he won’t let me get close enough to do any of the other stuff.” He complained as Isaac seemed to try to back away from him again.

“Scott, I have an idea, but you won’t like it, and I’ll need you to hold him down.” Melissa said worriedly as Allegra reached a hand out towards Isaac, making him cry out in fear again, and Scott sighed and nodded, looking miserably at his boyfriend.

“Do it, I can’t stand hearing this anymore, I can’t stand him sounding so upset.” Scott pleaded, sounding close to tears himself, and Allegra looked at him curiously, how could someone who sounded so upset just by seeing someone he loved be so upset be the same person who just made a zombie disintegrate with his bare hands, well, in his case, claws.

Melissa nodded as Isaac continued to cry and mutter, and Scott tried to hold him, tried to bring him close, but the psychological torture his blasted father had put him through had driven him too far, and now even he, the one he loved, couldn’t get through to him, and it was killing him, to hear Isaac so pained, so upset, so frightened, he needed to fix Isaac but he had no idea how to do it.

Melissa then reappeared, and to Scott’s horror, she had a syringe in her hand.

“Are you crazy, you want to drug him?” he demanded angrily, and she looked irritably at him.

“Scott, look at the state of him, he’s not calming down, in fact his screaming and crying is getting worse if anything, and none of us are getting through to him. So unless you want to Alpha him, which will probably only make him worse, this is kind of our only choice!” she insisted, and hating himself, he nodded slowly, admitting that she was right.

For what it was worth, it looked as though Melissa hated herself as well. She sent Scott a significant glance, and looking faintly sick, he wrapped his arms around a struggling Isaac, nuzzling into his ear in a last desperate attempt to calm him, but Isaac only cried louder, trying to get away from Scott, panicking and struggling, screaming as if he was still being tortured by his father. Scott sent his queasy looking mother a helpless look, and she nodded, and detesting himself, Scott continued to nuzzle Isaac, trying not to feel hurt as he tried to pull away, Isaac crying as he did so, and as he thrashed, he wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend, nuzzling him protectively as Isaac panicked, and took a hold of Isaac’s neck, holding his head still, which only made Isaac scream more but Melissa acted, the syringe slipping easily into his flesh, and looking revolted with herself, she pushed the drugs into his struggling, panicking body. Isaac stopped struggling, his frightened, panicked gaze focusing on Melissa, making a little moan in his voice but he then leaned back against Scott, his eyes fluttering closed and he finally went silent. Scott held him as he went silent in his arms, hating what they had had to do, but feeling relieved that he had stopped screaming, the sounds he was making were ripping his heart into pieces.

He held Isaac gently, rocking him a little and stroking Isaac’s hair, kissing the top of his head as his mother looked at what she had done in distaste. Allegra breathed a sigh of relief as she patted Scott’s shoulder, and Scott gulped, and tenderly lifted the now unconscious Isaac into his arms, heading for the stairs.

“I’ve never seen him like that before mom.” Melissa admitted quietly, hating herself, and Allegra nodded, looking grim.

“What the hell did that bastard do to him to make him so frightened?” she demanded, her eyes burning with cold fire, and Melissa started, jerked out of her thoughts.

“He abused him for years, he even locked him in the freezer. He would attack him, belittle him, it’s why Isaac became a werewolf, so he could defend himself he destroyed his life so much.” She said, her eyes focused on where her son had silently vanished, hating herself for what she had had to do to Isaac in order to calm him down.

She then felt her mother patting her on the back, her eyes shrewd as she beheld her daughter.

“You were talking about Scott weren’t you?” she asked softly, and Melissa nodded.

“I know he’s a werewolf, but...this was the first time that I thought of him as anything close to a monster. I mean, don't get me wrong, the bastard was already dead, and he deserved what Scott did to him, but...seeing him like that, it was scary.” She whispered, and Allegra nodded wisely.

“I agree dear, but in addition...he just proved how far he’s willing to go in order to protect someone he loves. So, while rather...alarming in some ways, in some ways, it’s also quite reassuring.” She whispered, and Melissa looked thoughtful as she considered what her mother had said, but the image of her son, riled into a murderous rage like that, well, yes she could see why her mother was reassured, but she was also suddenly very scared of her son and what he could do.

Upstairs, Scott looked worriedly at Isaac as his boyfriend, now in a drug induced sleep. He knew his mom was right, and that despite everything they were trying, everything he was trying, Isaac was just not calming down. But as he stroked Isaac’s bare chest tenderly with one hand, and stroked his hair with the other, the very fact that they had had to sedate him in order to calm him down, that broke Scott’s heart. His father was dead, buried, gone, and without him, Isaac had finally been able to enjoy his life, to make friends, a family, to fall in love, to be himself. But with one afternoon, with his father somehow coming back from the grave and tormenting him all over again, there was no telling what damage the vile bastard had done to him.

But...was he any better? He had always wondered just how far he would go, just how much of a monster he could become. True, Mr Lahey was already dead, and was probably one of the few people in the world who Scott would willingly kill because of everything he had done to Isaac, but that didn't excuse what he had done to him, well, to it. It wasn’t really him, but that didn't make him feel any better. He had been brutal, vicious, savage in what he did to him. And all the time he had been doing it, he hadn't felt a flicker of remorse, he had wanted to cause Lahey that pain, he had wanted him to suffer, to feel pain, to pay for what he had done to Isaac, but as soon as he had done it, he had immediately regretted it. Did that make him as much of a monster as Peter was? Or Deucalion? Did they ever feel remorse?

The power he had felt, the sheer energy, the desire to rip, maim, kill, it had been so overwhelming. When his mom had moved to drug Isaac, part of him had wanted to do the same to her, to rip her throat out for threatening him. That wasn’t even logical, his mother was one of the people he loved most in the world, and he had been driven to want to hurt her.

Scott looked at Isaac’s unconscious form, wanting nothing more than to cuddle into him and pretend none of this had ever happened. But he couldn't. Someone had brought Lahey back, and had set him on Isaac. Someone had wanted to hurt him. And he needed to know who, and why.

And...he also wanted to talk to Jackson, and the twins, because now that he knew what he was capable of, it terrified him, and he really wanted their advice on all this. If he was a monster, if he was going to become like Peter or the other foul things they had fought, he wanted to be ready, to stop it before it happened. He would rather die than become a savage monster like that. He wouldn’t become a monster, not if he could help it.

Rubbing himself, he shivered, scared of who and what he was, for the first time since he had become a werewolf. He had just proven how monstrous he could be, and it scared the living daylights out of him. He never wanted to feel like that again, especially when someone else could get hurt, someone he loved. But...what if he had no control over it?

Mulling this over, he looked at Isaac’s shirtless, unconscious form, and kissed him gently on the forehead.

“He can’t hurt you anymore, he’s gone, and this time, he won’t be coming back. And if he does...I’ll destroy him all over again.” He vowed truthfully, his voice a low growl, which made him stand up in shock at hearing himself speak like that.

But he found that he really meant it, he would happily do to Lahey what he had done all over again if it meant keeping Isaac safe. Did that make him good, or bad?

Heading down the stairs, his mind whirring with debates about how much of a monster he was, he saw his mother and grandmother trying to fix some of the damage, and he wilted a little, Isaac would be even more upset about that and blame himself for all this mess when it was really Lahey to blame.

No, not Lahey.

Whoever had sent him here.

“Mom?” Scott asked, his voice strong but to his greater relief, normal.

“Yeah?” she asked, not quite meeting his eyes, and he felt that like a fist to the gut, even if he couldn't blame her, after all, for the first time, she had seen that she was now the mother of a monster.

“I’m going to bring all the others over here. Someone, or something, is in town, and it’s after all of us. And considering what Lahey did to Isaac...no more.” He vowed, and she looked at him curiously, though with a slight tinge of foreboding.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, and Allegra looked at him in interest as well as his eyes glowed red, his fist clenching.

“I’m going to get answers...one way or another.”

 

XX

 

Upon their arrival the other members of the pack had quickly discovered that all was not well in the McCall house. Quickly going about helping with the clean up, the more attuned members of the pack could tell that Scott was not in a very good mood, and all of them, even though they were bursting with information to tell him, kept quiet until they had at least cleared a space for Stiles to erect his clear crime board up in the living room, still wincing a little as he moved. Allegra looked at the boy she had always viewed as another grandson, and frowned. She still hadn't really talked to either of the boys, the existence of the supernatural and other associated events had driven it almost totally from her mind. But she was going home tomorrow, so she really needed to talk to both kids, correction, all three considering the mess poor Isaac was in, before she left.

It was as she stared musingly at Stiles that her eyes travelled to the crime board he was erecting, giving him a suspicious look. Hearing the door, and deciding to interrogate him on that later, she headed past the twins, who were looking at Scott in the kitchen worriedly as she opened the door.

She was then nearly flattened as two young, strong, angry werewolves virtually pounced on the man at the front door, leaving her feeling rather squashed, as Scott had appeared and was pulling both angry twins back from his boss.

“Heel!” Scott snapped irritably, and while both twins gave a mutinous growl, they both nodded, glared at the man then stomped through to the living room.

“This will be a pleasant evening.” Deaton sighed as he entered the house, followed by his sister.

“I’m beginning to see why you wanted me here.” Morrell said wryly, and Scott gave her a humourless smile.

“Basically, if Deaton tells us the truth I need you to back him up, since most of my pack want his head on a spike. Grandma, this is our guidance teacher, and the twins’ old emissary Ms Morrell.” Scott said as his grandmother uncrushed herself from the wall, throwing a dirty look through the wall at the twins.

“Nice to meet you. Seriously Scott, you ordered five pizzas?” she demanded weakly as she watched the delivery man teeter out of his car with a large stack of pizzas, suddenly regretting her generous offer to pay for them, and he looked at her sheepishly.

“Actually, I ordered seven. We’re growing werewolves! Don’t worry, your ham and pineapple one comes free, and so do the two bottles of juice!” he said brightly, and she rolled her eyes in amusement, at least he’d gotten her a bargain.

“Where’s Isaac, how come he gets excused from the cleanup crew?” Jackson asked, for a change not malicious, but with his mood and his instincts related to Isaac already fried, Scott let out a savage growl in his ear, making Jackson leap up in fright.

“He’s in bed because he was in such a state that mom had to sedate him to get him to calm down, that’s why he’s not down here.” He replied sharply as Melissa and Allegra came through with plates, cups and pizza boxes as they all settled around the room.

Jackson sank back into his seat, looking cowed, and Scott found he was too hacked off and scared to care. Danny swatted at Jackson gently as Melissa took a deep breath, set the plates on the table, then immediately leapt out of the way as several hungry teenage hands reached for the pizza boxes.

“God, it’s like feeding a tank of piranhas.” Allegra commented weakly as Ethan lost a fight with Aiden for the slice with more pepperoni on it.

With the pack now happily munching on pizza, Scott rapping Stiles knuckles with the tv remote when he tried to take the slices he was setting aside for Isaac, he then looked at his pack, addressing the undercurrent of fear that was running through it.

“Ok what did I miss?” he asked, and with that the entire pack started clamouring, the adults watching the proceedings carefully, seeing how they all instantly went quiet when Scott held up a hand, how they all looked at him with respect, albeit with Jackson scowling mutinously, and Scott pointed at Malia, who looked most miserable.

“My mom attacked me.” She said sadly, and Stiles pulled her to him a little more, hugging her to his side, and Scott looked at her in alarm.

“What?” he demanded weakly, and from there he got all the stories, Malia finishing her, then Lydia causing general all round alarm when she announced Jennifer had come back, then Jackson caused a stir with the news that the kanima master was back and had attacked Danny (Aiden had discreetly had to hold Ethan back from crossing to Danny and fussing over him), the twins had told them about Erica and the landlady’s resignation to the window situation, and then Scott finally reached Stiles. He didn't have to say anything, the look on his face and the general recurring theme of the various stories, dead people coming back to bite them in the ass, made it all too clear who it was.

“It was Allison wasn’t it? She came back.” Scott said, knowing the answer already, and not meeting his eyes, Stiles nodded.

“Yeah. It was her. She wasn’t in a good mood with me, seeing as I killed her and all.” He whispered, and Scott squatted down in front of Stiles looking at him intently.

“It wasn’t your fault, you hear me?” he intoned, and while Stiles nodded, he could tell his brother didn't believe that.

“Allison came back?” Lydia asked, sounding breathless, and Stiles nodded grimly.

“Yeah, she came back. It was her, just like she was before she died. But, she was like you said all the others were, she wanted me dead, like she was after her mom died, pure hunter. I mean I know it’s my fault she’s dead but I mean, well, it was like, part of her was missing.” He mumbled as Malia held his hand, and she nodded her agreement.

“Mom wasn’t right either, she was cruel, cold, not like she was. Does that mean she wasn’t really her?” she asked hopefully, and Scott noticed the two druids exchanging significant glances, and immediately felt annoyed.

“Look, most of the people in this room wants at least one of you dead, so rather than standing there keeping quiet and being so mysterious, tell us what you’re thinking, or I will let my murderous identical bodyguards rip you apart.” Scott growled menacingly, and Melissa shot a frightened look at her son, he was still severely pissed off to be threatening Deaton, who paid his wages after all, in such a way.

Aiden looked worriedly at his Alpha. He could feel how tense Scott was, they all could, the stress was coming off him, as was the fear, and his anger at the druids wasn’t doing anything to improve matters. But it was just so strange, seeing Scott so riled up. Finding out his entire pack had been attacked by dead people from the past had severely wound him up, and added to the fact that Isaac was in such a state he had had to be sedated, he could grasp that Scott was seriously annoyed with everything that had happened.

Deaton scowled, but beside him, his sister allowed herself a small smile of amusement. She had warned him that his dicking around with the pack would only wind up driving them to doing the one thing he had been trying very hard to prevent, but obviously he hadn't listened and was now reaping the consequences.

Deciding to ignore Scott’s tone and put it down to the stress of his pack and boyfriend being attacked by people who were meant to be dead, Deaton began to explain.

“I think they were revenants, that would explain their behaviour, and their level of sentience.” He explained, and Allegra, who was taking notes, looked at him curiously.

“How does that explain it?” she asked, and Morrell took over.

“The attacks weren’t done by zombies, zombies are different. A zombie is little more than a beast, an animal in human form, no higher brain functions, no nothing, it exists solely to do the master’s will. It’s just a walking corpse, nothing going on. So yes Stiles, the zombies in Walking Dead are like real zombies.” She said in exasperation, as he had looked to be fairly burning with the question.

“So what makes a revenant different then, because Matt was certainly walking and talking.” Danny challenged, and she nodded.

“A revenant is a much higher class of zombie, and requires a lot more knowledge and power in order to pull off, and considering whoever was behind it also made Jennifer, who was a very powerful creature in her own right, into a revenant, then the master behind it all clearly isn't someone we want to tangle with in a hurry. A revenant is the level down from a total resurrection. Peter, when he came back, resurrected himself, which means he is back to what he was before Derek ripped his throat out. A revenant is something that was mostly resurrected, but is still technically dead. As such, because the person behind their resurrection left part of them behind, it lets them pick and choose what they bring back.” She explained, Allegra’s pen scribbling away.

“So how does that help us?” Jackson asked, feeling slightly lost.

“What’s she’s trying to say is, while those that attacked you were the people you knew from before, they weren’t entirely those people. Whoever brought them back left parts of them behind. That explains why Allison was the way she was, the redeeming qualities that she had, her compassion, her care for others, her sense of right and wrong, all of them were left behind in order to make her a much more effective weapon. The same probably applies to the other revenants that attacked you as well.” He explained, and Malia looked cheered slightly by this news.

“So, mom might not really have thought that stuff?” she asked, and Deaton nodded.

“Correct.” He confirmed, but Aiden looked less than convinced.

“Yeah but doesn't that also mean that they did originally think those things?” he asked, and Malia sagged sadly, making Stiles glare at the twin, who shrugged.

“Well possibly, possibly not. Some of them, like Jennifer, Isaac’s father, Matt, all of them, it wouldn’t take much energy to twist them into something like a revenant, and the stuff that goes along with it.” Deaton reasoned, and Scott shared a scowl with his mother.

“Yeah, as if any of them needed any help in being more foul. So, Jennifer’s gone at least, so we don't need to deal with her anymore, but why did those people attack who they did?” he asked, and Deaton frowned as he considered the question.

“The people who were resurrected, they were all linked in some way to the people who they attacked. Isaac and his father are obvious, as is Matt and Jackson, and Malia’s mother.” He mused, but Stiles looked less than convinced.

“And me and Allison because of what happened, but that doesn't explain why the others were all attacked. Like the twins, why did Erica attack them?” he asked, and Morrell raised an eyebrow.

“They were still involved in her death, they were still part of the pack when she was killed, even if they didn't do the deed themselves. As long as there’s a link, that’s all whoever was behind this was needing, a link to the person they were directly attacking.” She explained, and Lydia, who was looking worriedly out of the window and texting her mother to see if Prada had been seen, looked around.

“Then what’s the deal between me and Jennifer, it’s not as if I was the one who was in her way, it was Scott and Derek who screwed up her plans.” She pointed out, which Scott nodded to.

“Yeah, and how come Allison...well didn't I have a link with her?” he asked, sounding slightly put out, and Stiles gave him a humourless smile.

“Hey, least you didn't get attacked by anyone.” He pointed out, and Morrell nodded, conceding the point.

“The way these revenants were conjured, and their actions, make it look as though this was linked to those linked in some way to their deaths, or at least to the circumstances that helped lead to them. Whoever was behind this knows you, knows the pack, and this was some sort of psychological warfare. Understand, these revenants were never meant to be the be all and end all. I think that whatever has been going on is only just starting.” She warned, and Ethan growled in frustration, getting to his feet and pacing irritably.

“But what is happening? The Pombero attacking Lydia, whists, which I assume come from the same place as the revenants came from, the flying thing that attacked Aiden, there’s no way the suicide in the school wasn’t related to everything going on, and the Scuffock showing up all at the same time, are you seriously telling me that all of this isn't somehow related?” he demanded, and Melissa sighed and patted her befuddled mother on the arm.

“And you missed Beacon Hills mom.” She teased sweetly, making her mother give her a weak look.

“Alright, so how do we stop these revenants, because I say we go out and put them all back where they came from, what do you think Scott?” Aiden asked eagerly, as Scott hadn't said anything, but as the twin looked at his Alpha, he saw Scott looking at both twins as if they had just sprouted an extra head.

“Why Erica?” he asked, his tone one of forced calm, and the twins looked at each other in confusion before looking back at him.

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked, kind of at sea by the Alpha’s question.

“Why were you two attacked by Erica, it doesn't make sense. Kali had more to do with her death than you two did right?” he asked suspiciously, and Ethan chanced a glance to see that Danny was listening intently for the answer but refusing to meet his eyes.

“Yeah, why?” h asked, and saw Danny look up at him out of the corner of his eye.

“So why were you attacked by Erica, when you were more linked to Boyd dying?” he asked, and Lydia looked at him, the picture of confusion.

“You’re worried because they weren’t attacked by Boyd?” she asked in disbelief, and Scott turned to her, looking agitated.

“Lydia, look at everyone who came back and attacked, and are still out there by the way, the only one we don't need to deal with it Jennifer and that’s because Martagh dealt with her. Basically, everyone we have lost, everyone who died around us, so why the hell didn't Boyd come back?” he asked, and Stiles let out a low groan.

“Because if Boyd came back he wouldn’t be pointed at the twins, he would be pointed at Derek, who is technically the one who killed him.” He realised, and Scott swore under his breath and was already calling Parrish as the others looked on worriedly.

 

XX

 

Derek, being in solitary, had a different procedure from the rest of the prison. Boris, the oldest prison guard in the place, would pick him up from his cell and would march him along to the showers. Believing that Derek was innocent, as a result Boris was perfectly decent with him and gave him a little longer in the shower than he was meant to get. The only thing he wouldn't tell Derek was who the hell it was in the same wing as him, which at first Derek had dismissed as him just being a jobsworth, but now, after all this time it actually seemed like the older man actually didn't know who the other prisoner in the same wing was, which Derek actually found highly interesting.

“So you still don't have a clue on who my neighbour is?” Derek asked innocently as water ran over his body.

Hey, it might be a prison shower, but it was still quite a good one. Now, if he could get as good a shower in his building if he ever actually got out of here.

“I’ve told you lad, I’ve no idea. I’m actually beginning to think no one knows, even the warden seems rather clueless as to who it is, the FBI put him in here, whoever he is.” He said gruffly as he read his paper, allowing Derek to go about his business.

“So someone high profile then?” Derek asked, washing his hair with the small bar of soap he was afforded.

Boris stroked his heavyset jaw as he considered the question.

“All any of us knows is that a month or so ago, the FBI requisitioned the cell until further notice, said the prisoner only had to be cared for, they would deal with everything, only basically asking us for room. The FBI has someone who comes in on their way home every day to check up on the guy at any rate.” He informed him, and Derek frowned, yeah, that certainly didn't sound like normal practice.

“Why’s it all so hush hush?” he asked, and Boris made a unconcerned noise in his throat.

“Who knows son? The FBI’s prerogative isn't it? Whoever it is though, they insisted the room be in solitary, and with people at either end of the corridor, whom they provided. All very strange though, whoever the guy is, he’s either a seriously nasty piece of work, or a very high profile witness or something like that.” Boris summed up, and Derek tried to think, tried to put the information he was getting with what he knew, because he was positive that he had smelled that particular person in some way before.

Maybe he should ask Malia to come out next time he got visitors, her nose was better than anyone’s.

“Hmm...” Boris grunted as Derek switched off the shower and grabbed his towel, wiping his face.

“What’s up?” he asked, wrapping the towel around his waist as Boris got to his feet, pulling out his nightstick, his eyes drawn up the corridor.

“What the hell is that?” he demanded in frightened shock, club at the ready, and Derek looked up the corridor to see a pair of vicious golden eyes glowing in the dark, with deadly white fangs coming ever closer.

“Impossible...” Derek breathed as the other werewolf span out of the darkened corridor, his claws going right for Boris’ throat.

Shoving Boris to the ground with a grunt, Derek barely managed to avoid it as Boyd’s claws went right for his throat. Boyd gave a vicious snarl as he reared up to his full, considerable, bulky height, and Derek snarled in challenge, his own eyes going blue as he extended his claws, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Boris was out cold, which actually made things a lot easier. Derek backed away, suddenly very aware that all he was wearing over his wet body (which would also be potentially hazardous) was a towel, which meant that Boyd’s claws would be none too desirable in certain places. Edging back, Derek looked at Boyd, feelings of guilt flooding him as he beheld his former Beta, the one who he had killed, the one who had met his end on his own claws.

“Boyd...what are you doing here?” Derek asked, well really, what was he supposed to say, he had buried Boyd himself, while Scott had held a crying Isaac and Cora had hovered sadly behind her big brother.

“Surprised to see me Derek? What, afraid to face what you did to me?” Boyd snarled, looking almost rabid he was so angry, and Derek shook his head.

“Of course not, I know what I did to you, and I hate myself every day that I did do it to you, I would never have killed you, you know that.” He insisted, and Boyd scoffed.

“Really? See, it wasn’t exactly a great leap of the imagination, you were never exactly a brilliant Alpha now were you? It was all about you, wasn’t it? You didn't care about us, you didn't want to know what our problems were, you were all about helping yourself, about getting power.” Boyd sneered, and while Derek did consider answering back, he figured that he would do himself more good if he just kept his mouth shut.

“What, nothing to say? Isaac, Erica and I, we turned to you because we thought you would make our lives better, and instead, all you did was get us killed! Erica died while you sat and felt sorry for yourself! I died because you were too weak, always were weak, all you cared about was you, not us! And I can hardly blame Isaac for turning on you, what did you ever do that inspired loyalty? You would sit back and let us fight Scott and the others, fight the kanima, while you sat back and did nothing, bitching about how Scott was better than you, you would sit and wallow in self pity while your pack, the people who needed you, died!” Boyd roared and leapt at Derek, his claws going right for his throat.

Derek barely avoided Boyd’s claws, his words bothering much more than the attempt to kill him. He was right, he had been a failure as an Alpha. Erica had gotten killed because he had been stupid enough to let her go, he had managed to get Boyd back only to be the one to kill him because he was too weak to stop it, he had driven Isaac out of the pack and into Scott’s waiting arms, and he hadn't exactly been a stellar older brother to Cora either, and had only saved her life after a lot of feeling sorry for himself.

“Boyd, I know I wasn’t the best Alpha...” Derek began and Boyd scoffed.

“That’s putting it mildly. Four betas, two dead, one by your own hand, another defected to another, better Alpha and one who only stuck with you because you were her brother, and you basically screwed her over too. You know, I knew Isaac was drifting closer to Scott, especially after you kicked him out. I was going to join him, but you had to go and kill me. Were you that afraid of being alone that you’d rather kill me than let me abandon you too?” he demanded, and Derek shook his head.

“Boyd, no, it wasn’t like that!” he insisted and Boyd scoffed.

“Really? So, you’re telling me that you, crown prince of Beacon Hills, heir to Talia Hale, a world respected Alpha, doesn't resent the fact that some bitten kid has become a much better werewolf, leader and Alpha than you ever were?” Boyd challenged, and Derek opened his mouth to respond, but, halfway through the action, he changed his mind, closing it again.

Tried though he might, he had begun to slightly resent Scott. It was nothing to do with Scott, it was mainly due to his own shortcomings as an Alpha, and it was clear that despite being this goofy, dorky kid, Scott actually was a natural born leader. Scott inspired loyalty through example, not just by rank like he had. He had seen it, not so much in Erica, but in Boyd and obviously in Isaac, the two of them had respected him, and preferred to follow his lead rather than the lead of their Alpha. He knew it was more to do with him and his own shortcomings, but what Boyd had said was right. He did resent Scott. Scott had always been a better person than him, he’d admitted that quite happily from the start. But did that mean he had to be a better Alpha too? Boyd was right, he knew he was losing his pack, Isaac in particular, even before Scott had even known he was an Alpha, he was losing all three of them, in fact, he was willing to bet that if Scott hadn't been so close to Allison, and hence Gerard and Jackson, then he probably would have lost his pack a lot earlier than he had done.

So yeah, he did resent Scott a little for that, but really, could he be blamed for that?

“Ok, maybe I do, but that has nothing to do with what happened between us!” Derek insisted, and Boyd snorted derisively.

“Really? See, I think it is. You were never fit to be an Alpha, even Peter was a better one than you, at least his beta survived, and oh wait, he’s the one who stole the last member of your pack because you got everyone else killed!” Boyd roared and leapt at Derek, claws plunging right for his chest.

Derek snarled and danced out of the way, smacking Boyd away with him, his blood pounding in his head with anger. He didn't want to be goaded by what Boyd was saying, but so much of it rang true, his failure, getting Boyd and Erica killed, driving Isaac away, and Scott swooping in and basically cleaning up his mess, he was right to be angry, what right did that little kid have to usurp his pack? Angrily gnashing his teeth, Derek caught Boyd’s arm as he tried to rip open his throat.

“I’m sorry I killed you, but you’re dead! I can’t change that, and neither can you, so go back to whatever place you came from!” Derek roared, and Boyd snarled in challenge.

“Not until you’re dead!” he bellowed, his claws going right for Derek’s face, and Derek flipped backwards, cursing a little as the towel fell off mid flight, managing to avoid the attack but losing his modesty in the process.

“Huh, not surprised.” Boyd grunted, sounding unimpressed as he looked down, and Derek blinked, well, yeah he was back to kill him but seriously, that was below the belt, literally.

“Boyd, this isn't you...” Derek tried one last time, and Boyd sneered at him.

“How would you know, seeing as you killed me before I ever really lived?” he challenged, and leapt at Derek, claws going right for his jugular.

Derek snarled in response, catching his attack before he could do any damage, kicking him away from him while Boris stirred on the floor. Realising he now had to end this quickly, Derek deftly avoided another attack before ripping his claws up through Boyd’s bulging muscles, kicking his former Beta in the chest and sending him sprawling. Boyd roared in frustration, somersaulting to his feet and was about to spring again when a bullet rang out, forcing the other wolf to turn and behold this new intruder.

“Stand down!” Parrish ordered, his gun levelled at Boyd, and Boyd gave an annoyed snarl and bounded up the corridor, hammering his fist into Parrish’s head as he passed. As Parrish slammed into the wall and dropped down unconscious, Derek breathed heavily, wrapping his towel back around him to preserve his modesty as a grumbling Boris got back to his feet.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded irritably, before spotting the unconscious Parrish and hurrying over to his side to check up on him.

Derek narrowed his eyes as he looked at where Boyd had disappeared. That had been powerful dark energy, no question about it. Something, or someone, had brought Boyd back, and he was quite rightly pissed about his untimely demise. Boyd had always been strong, but when Derek had been fighting him it was like he was even stronger than usual, driven by some other power that he had never had before. There was no way Boyd had come back under his own steam, which meant that someone had brought him back.

He scowled as Boris tried to rouse Parrish, guilt beginning to flood him. Boyd’s words, they’d affected him. The stuff Boyd had said about his shortcomings as an Alpha, fair enough they were all true. But the stuff he had said about his resentment of Scott, well, perhaps they were truer than he would like to admit. Scott was better than him, and Scott had clearly won the loyalty of his last remaining Beta even before they had started sleeping together. His leadership had never been particularly inspired, that much was true, but deep down, he truly did resent Scott, if only a little. Shaking his head, his mind abuzz with everything that Boyd had said, and wondering just who or what had brought him back, Derek moved to help a groggy Parrish to his feet, guilt gnawing away at him due to the rebellious feelings against his Alpha going on inside his head.

 

XX

 

Upon hearing that Scott’s suspicions had been right and that Boyd had indeed been sent after Derek, and an amused sheriff telling Scott that while he had been knocked out, Parrish had been more than happy to be tended to by Mikaela, the two druids had left, and Scott had begged his mother to allow the pack to stay the night. While Melissa and Allegra had been less than happy with this development, Scott looked so worried and so tired that Melissa had put up little resistance, and after a stark warning that she would tolerate no funny business from any of them (looking pointedly at Stiles and Malia as she did so, who were both too preoccupied to even notice), she had agreed. With the place now full of werewolves and other animals, Allegra found herself with a house full of teenagers that weren’t even hers.

“You see what we mean about Deaton?” Melissa asked as they shared one last cup of tea in the kitchen, the only place that did not have pack squatters sleeping in it for the night.

“Yes, I can see that he could be potentially dodgy yes dear. You do realise, we still have no clue what on earth is going on.” She said darkly, eyeing the door that had been used by a dead man to break the fingers of his terrified son in distaste.

Melissa gave her a wan smile.

“Hey, look on the bright side, at least you get to escape the craziness, I’m stuck with it sadly.” She lamented, and Allegra looked at her worriedly.

“Are you sure you want me to go home, it’s no bother if you want me to stay darling.” She said kindly, and Melissa bit her lip, seriously considering it.

After all, if the supernatural bad guys were again on the march, she could do with the support, her mother could do all the worrying and she could focus on other things. But no, if, as it seemed, there was some other new creature in town determined to cause havoc, she couldn't let her mother remain behind and deal with that.

“No. No, you’re safer back in San Francisco.” She said sadly, and Allegra allowed herself a small smile.

“Really? Have you seen some of the nutjobs who live in my neighbourhood? Alright, if you’re sure. But I will talk to the boys before I leave.” She promised, and Melissa nodded.

“Good, thanks mom. Especially with Scott going the way he did earlier.” She said, frowning a little and Allegra sighed.

“Dear...you remember, every time I shot someone, I had to go for a psych evaluation?” she asked, and Melissa nodded.

“Yeah, but what’s that got to do anything?” she asked, and Allegra gave her a small smile.

“I only used my gun to kill someone when I really had no other choice. It’s a hard thing, deciding to take a life. What we saw with Scott, to me, was the equivalent. He was determined to stop a monster who had hurt someone he loved very much. He might not have a gun to shoot people with, but to protect the ones he cares about, basically everybody in this house right now, and most of all that boy he’s cuddling in bed, that boy who is so far from alright it’s not possible, and my beautiful daughter beside me, he will do anything to protect them. That was what we saw.” She advised her daughter, who smiled a little proudly, bid her mother goodnight, and headed for the stairs.

Allegra sighed tiredly, rubbing her eyes. It was all very well being clued into the supernatural, but suddenly learning everything else that was going along with it, well, that wasn’t entirely filling her with confidence. While the revenant situation had been dealt with for the time being, and permanently (hopefully) in the case of Jennifer and Malia’s mother, there was still so much they didn't know. Scott said he had an idea on how to get more information, but after they had learned that Derek too had been attacked, the fight had largely gone out of them, and as a result of the day they’d had, they had all been dozing off anyway.

She smiled humourlessly. Tomorrow was going to be a busy morning, what with debating on whists, revenants, the Pombero and the flying thing that had attacked Aiden, along with Derek’s situation and of course, the mastermind behind all of this.

She stretched, peeking her head into the living room on her was past. The twins were at one end of the sofa, Ethan’s head resting on Aiden’s shoulder, both of them fast asleep. Malia had curled up around Stiles in the chair he had been sitting in, but it was clear that he was having a dream of some sort, the way he was fidgeting (mind you, he’d always been a fidgety child, once managing to wriggle his way out of a nappy, and Allegra was dumbfounded to this day as to how he had done it). Lydia and Kira were asleep on the other sofa, Kira acting as a barrier between Jackson and Lydia, Jackon’s head tilted back as he slept, and, to Allegra’s amusement, a sleeping Danny had his arm across Jackson’s waist, as if he was trying to hug him.

Hoping she would be awake in time to see his reaction to that, Allegra made a last check that the door was shut and was about to climb the stairs when she saw her grandson sitting on the middle step, his arms wrapped around his knees, looking miserable.

One last job before bed then.

“Budge up boyo.” She ordered, setting herself down beside her grandson, who’s brown eyes looked so lost and alone that she couldn't help but pity them.

“Do you think I’m a monster grandma?” he asked quietly, speaking into his knees, so much so that Allegra was glad they weren’t sitting in opposite positions.

“Of course I don't.” She said simply, and he looked at her desperately.

“But, what I did to Isaac’s father...” he began, but Allegra cut him off with a shake of her head.

“That man...from everything else you’ve told me, for a start, the evil bastard had it coming, even before he came back and tortured Isaac the way he did earlier. But Scott...this is what you need to understand. I know, from what the twins were saying, that you aren't like most other Alphas. From what they’ve said, most Alphas seem to be more than content to kill a few people. I’ve known you all your life, and I never once saw you kill anything, let alone consider killing anybody...the unfortunate cowboys and Indians incident with Stiles aside,” she admitted, and Scott grinned a little at the memory, “you are the boy who once cried because I accidentally stood on a bee. You are not a killer darling.” She assured him, but Scott still didn't look convinced.

“But I wanted to kill him.” He said, and Allegra patted his knee.

“Of course you did. If you didn't want to kill him for doing what he did to someone you loved, I would certainly think less of you. You remember how once upon a time, your dear old granddad sat you down and gave you the talk about responsibility?” she asked, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, it wasn’t long before he died, he told me that if I was the only guy in the family, I had to look out for you and mom.” He said, and she smiled fondly.

“Yes, well, the fact that I could kick his ass with my hands tied behind my back notwithstanding,” she said, and Scott sniggered, “this is the same thing. Down there is a group of kids, who look up to you, respect you, and love you. Even, an obnoxious little shit though he is, Jackson, has some measure of respect for you. All of them, Jackson, the twins, Lydia, Kira, Malia, Danny...Scott, I still hardly know most of the people in the room, and I can tell that any one of them would do anything for you. Those people are your responsibility. You are their leader, their Alpha. It’s your job to protect them, to look out for them. If any of them was in danger, would you do any less for them?” she asked softly, and with no hesitation, Scott nodded.

“Course I would.” He assured her, and she smiled.

“Exactly. On top of that, while you clearly love all of them there are two other members of your pack who you would go even beyond that for. If someone threatened Stiles, or Isaac, and you had the choice, either to let them potentially hurt them again, or to end their threat altogether, what would you do?” she posed, and he shrugged.

“Make sure they didn't hurt them.” He answered, and Allegra nodded.

“Exactly. When someone we love is in danger, we find that we can and would do things that we would ordinarily never would of believed we could do. Lahey threatened Isaac, and considering the damage he had already done and how much you love Isaac, well, threatening him was never going to be a good move. You weren’t a monster with what you did to him sweetheart. You were a man, who was doing the right thing. You were someone who was protecting someone he loved. You acted as anyone else would, someone you loved was in danger, so you responded accordingly. Isaac was in pain, hurt, terrified, and he was the one who had caused Isaac to be that way, so you did what you needed to do, to make sure that he never hurt Isaac again.” She assured him, squeezing his hand, and he did look slightly more cheerful.

“But, I’ve never felt like that before grandma, so angry, so vicious...like, like a monster. Like Peter, or Deucalion.” He lamented, and Allegra nodded wisely.

“I see. But, these two Alphas who you’re so determined not to be like, why did they kill people?” she asked, and Scott shrugged.

“Peter wanted revenge, and Deucalion wanted power.” He answered, and she nodded, smiling.

“Exactly. Whereas if you killed, really killed, not just destroyed some revenant, I highly doubt you would kill for either of those reasons. You would kill to save someone you loved. And that makes you very different from both of them pumpkin.” She assured him and he grinned at her.

“Thanks grandma. This is why mom wanted you here isn't it? To talk to us?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“Well, it can’t hurt. But since we’re on the subject...is there anything else you want to talk about?” she asked shrewdly, scrutinising him closely.

He hesitated, trying to think. He knew what she was really asking about, she was asking about if he was coping with Allison dying. But, how did he put what he felt across?

“You mean Allison?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Are you ok?” she asked kindly, and he bit his lip, considering his answer.

“I’m not happy she’s dead, and I still can’t believe she’s gone. I mean, I tried so hard to save her...but I just couldn't. It’s not like Aiden, I could save him, I just felt helpless, powerless, to save her. But...I mean, it still bothers me, I still have nightmares about it, but does it make me a bad person? Isaac, he still blames himself, you saw Stiles, he does too. But, is it wrong that I don't blame myself for her dying? You know what I mean? I don't blame myself, I know it’s not my fault she died, it’s my fault I couldn't save her. You see what I’m saying?” he asked hopefully, and she considered her answer, because, strangely enough and garbled though it was (after all, she had seen his English grades), it did make sense.

“Yes honey. You’re saying that Isaac and Stiles, and Lydia too probably, blame themselves for her being killed, they think it was their fault that she died that night. You on the other hand, you blame yourself for not being able to save her, that it’s your fault she’s dead. But...what you need to understand is, these things happen. There’s no one to blame, the only one to blame is this Obi who stabbed her.” She counselled grimly, and Scott quirked an eyebrow.

“Oni, not Obi. Just because you have a crush on Ewan McGregor.” He chided and she shrugged.

“I know who I meant. My point is sweetheart, none of you should blame yourselves. It was a tragedy, yes, but no one person is to blame. And, you’re right, I see that Stiles in particular is blaming himself. So my dear, what you need to do is?” she asked, and Scott smiled.

“Help him.”

“That’s my boy. I will say this though...you’ve become a fine young man, and with what you’ve done, with your pack, how loyal they are to you, all of it, well I know one thing for sure. Your grandfather would be very proud of you.” She told him fondly, and he smiled.

“And for that matter, so am I.” She said, kissing his forehead and then groaning as she pulled herself to her feet, her bones grinding.

“That sounded sore.” Scott said, looking at her with sympathy as he hopped up as if it was perfectly natural.

“Well, you’re the one who sat there hence it’s your fault. Now come on buster, there’s a house full of people here who would kill for a bed, and you are one of the ones lucky enough to have one, so get to it. Besides, I think that attractive young boyfriend of yours could do with waking up with you cuddling him, so scat.” She chided fondly, and Scott smiled and nodded.

“Ok grandma. Hey, how do you know I like to cuddle him?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Your grandfather did me...silly old fool, sneaking up on me like he did.” She grumbled and he laughed, remembering that.

“Yeah, he wound up with a black eye and you had a broken thumb didn't he?” he sniggered and she sighed in annoyance.

“Well yes, well really, I didn't expect him to be in, what would you have done if some lunatic came up and grabbed you from behind?” she complained while Scott laughed.

“I still remember the phone call, mom was poorless.” He giggled and she sighed in annoyance.

“Hmph. Come on you, bed.” She ordered and he nodded, climbing the stairs, and as Allegra persuaded herself to move, he had reached the top, so she called him back.

“Scott?” she called, and he turned back to look at her.

“Yeah?”

She gave him a fond smile.

“I rarely approved of any of the boys your mother brought home...in fact one of the few I did was actually a girl...but I do approve of Isaac. You mind him, you hear me? He’s a keeper.” She told him, her finger pointed at him.

“Course I will. Night grandma. Thanks.” He told her warmly, heading into his room while Allegra, feeling she had earned at least half her keep, hauled herself up the stairs.

Entering his room, and feeling better than he had since he had saved Isaac from his dead father, Scott looked at where Isaac was curled up in the covers, looking as if he was just sleeping normally, and wasn’t sound asleep due to a drug induced slumber. Scott approached him, casting off his tshirt as he did so, squatting down beside Isaac as he slept. He gently stroked Isaac’s quiff, then used his thumb to remove a dried in tear track from his boyfriend’s pale face.

“He can’t hurt you anymore. And even if he does somehow come back, I won’t let him hurt you. He won’t hurt you ever again ok? I promise. I love you.” He whispered and gently kissed Isaac’s forehead lovingly.

He stood up, and stripped off his jeans and socks, before climbing into bed beside Isaac. How could someone who was wrapped up in the entire duvet manage to be cold? Rolling his eyes in affection, Scott cuddled in close to Isaac, wrapping his arm around Isaac’s cool stomach and bringing him in close, before pressing a kiss to Isaac’s tattoo, and then to his neck, before snuggling in to sleep, his mind buzzing with everything that was still to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, what with working overtime and losing faith in humanity and juggling two laptops, it took far longer than it should, but hopefully now we'll be back on track!
> 
> So, despite predictions Allegra is still here bless her cotton socks, but next chapter should be the chapter when we bid goodbye to dear old grandma (i think im right this time, but you never know)
> 
> There was also a little case of writer's block this chapter as well, but now we should be out of the woods and getting into the action, so hopefully my next update will be much sooner, but until then, please leave kudos and comments if you fancy!


	16. Episode 3: Revenant Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott helps Isaac cope, Jackson looks for answers, Stiles has a heart to heart and Allegra is homeword bound

Two-Pack II

 

Scott became aware that his arms were moving of their own accord. Opening his eyes wearily, he saw Isaac trying to untangle himself from Scott’s limbs without waking his boyfriend, but as he tried to move Scott’s arm off of him, Scott took a tighter hold of his hand, which for some reason made Isaac freeze.  
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Scott whispered, checking the time, and then shooting a dirty look at the clock because it was far earlier than he thought it ought to be.  
“Just let me go…” Isaac pleaded, and before Scott could say anything else, Isaac leapt up from the bed, running into the bathroom and locking the door.  
Scott looked at where his boyfriend had vanished sadly. He had suspected that there was something like this coming, but that didn’t make it any easier than he was now going to have to try and calm Isaac down. Getting to his feet, and figuring this could be a while so he slipped on his dressing gown though didn’t do it up, he crossed to the bathroom door.

“Isaac?” he called, hearing Isaac sniffing through the door, the very sound of it breaking his heart.

“Just leave me alone.” Isaac begged sadly, and Scott could hear running water, which he supposed Isaac was trying to use to cover the fact that he was crying.

“Not going to happen.” Scott said simply, and he heard Isaac sniff.

“He’s right…why are you even with me?” he whispered, his voice shaking, and Scott suppressed a deadly snarl, the thought of destroying the evil bastard all over again running through his head.

“Isaac…I’m not having this conversation through the door ok? Open the door, because mom will kill me if I knock it in, and neither of us want that.” He wheedled, and for a minute it seemed as if Isaac was going to do nothing. However, Scott breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened, revealing Isaac standing shivering in the bathroom, looking miserable and defeated.

Scott yearned to hug him, to hold him, to nuzzle him, but he didn’t think that was going to work this time. No, he needed to play this gently, softly, otherwise he might make all the damage that Lahey had inflicted upon his son even worse than it already was. Isaac backed away from Scott, as though afraid that even being close to him would further taint his boyfriend, and Scott silently vowed that when he found the one who had dredged Isaac’s father up from his grave, he was going to rip them into tiny pieces and scatter them across the state for letting that blasted man crawl back into Isaac’s head in the first place.

“I need you to listen to me ok baby? Your dad is gone. I don’t know how he crawled out of the ground in the first place, but he’s gone. Trust me, with what me, mom and grandma did to him, he is never going to hurt you again. I ripped him apart for what he had done to you.” He told him, and Isaac’s eyes brightened a little as he looked at Scott in shock.

Scott wanted to touch him, but despite looking a little heartened at what Scott had done to his father, he was still in no position to be touched, and it was fairly obvious that he would pull away from Scott if he made any moves towards him.

“But he’s right, I am pathetic, worthless. You deserve better than me.” Isaac said miserably, trying to get past Scott but Scott put his arm up in front of him, blocking his exit, shaking his head fervently.

“No he isn’t. Isaac, your father tortured you, belittled you and made your life a living hell! Don’t listen to him. He was foul, twisted and evil. You are not pathetic, and you’re not worthless, least of all to me. Why on earth would you think I could do better than you? Because that foul bastard said so? After everything he did to you all those years, you’re going to listen to him over me?” he asked, failing to stop himself sounding slightly put out by the very thought of that, and Isaac, to his surprise, growled at him defiantly, like a dog giving a short bark to illustrate its displeasure.

“I’m listening to him because he’s right! I’m worthless, all I’ve ever done is make things worse! Mom died, Camden died, dad died, and I got Allison killed too, all of them die, and it’s always because of me! Mom died because she couldn’t get treatment because she had me, Camden joined the army so we could get away from dad and he died, dad died because he chased after me, and Allison died to save me, I’m not worth it, I’m not worth all these people getting killed! I couldn’t even help any of them, and all they do is die, and I can’t even help them, or save them!” Isaac cried desperately, and Scott felt his heart break as Isaac dissolved into tears and sank down towards the floor.

Scott felt tears materialising in his own eyes, but nonetheless knelt down in front of Isaac, and deciding Isaac was now too upset to notice, he gently wrapped him in his arms, keeping him close to his warm chest, nuzzling Isaac’s head lovingly as he felt Isaac’s tears run down his exposed skin, and he began to rock Isaac gently, making hushing noises in his ear as he did so to try and stop him crying.

“Shh. Isaac, I need you to look at me ok?” Scott asked gently after a while, when Isaac’s tears had subsided somewhat, and he gently pulled away from Isaac, taking a look at his crumpled, broken form and vowed bloody vengeance on whoever had resurrected his father in the first place for doing that to him.

“Your dad…he was evil. He was a man who lost people he really loved, but rather than do what he ought to do, and protect the one thing he had left, he abused it and belittled it. He made your life a misery because he was so consumed with his own anger and hatred that he felt the need to lash out at you, he was angry at the world, so he took it out on you. But I need you to listen to me ok? You are not worthless. The night that he died, you said your dad came after you. Sure we don’t know why he did, but he did come after you. Maybe he had finally realised that he had gone too far, and that he was losing the one thing that made his foul life bearable. But, don’t you think for a moment that your life isn’t worth anything. Don’t let him do that to you, because he’ll win if you do. He isn’t worth that, and you know it.” Scott insisted and Isaac sniffed miserably, looking lost, and Scott gently took his cheek in his hand, stroking away some of the tears.

“But…”

“No buts. None at all. Your dad died because of something he had done to someone else, because he had hurt Matt, much as he had hurt you. Your mom dying, she was sick, gorgeous, and there was nothing you could do about it. Your brother wasn’t your fault either. He joined the army Isaac, and while he might have wanted to get you away from your dad, that doesn’t make it your fault that he died. He was in a warzone, and what happened there is nothing to do with you. And Allison…honey, the entire pack wants to blame itself for what happened to her. It wasn’t your fault any more than it was anyone else’s. Allison died doing what she believed in, protecting people, saving them.” He told him and Isaac looked at him miserably.

“Yeah but she died saving me, if I hadn’t been about to die, then she might have…”

“And if she hadn’t, you might have died. If none of us had been there, Lydia might have died. Or Stiles. Maybe Kira, or me. We don’t know what would have happened Isaac. But I do know this, that if you had died…losing Allison devastated me. But if I had lost you, I don’t know what I would have done. I love you Isaac. It would have literally killed me if I had lost you, it would have destroyed me if you had died. Allison dying wasn’t your fault, and she was saving someone that she loved. If you were worthless, do you think she would have bothered? You aren’t worthless Isaac. You weren’t worthless to her, she loved you. Just like I do.” Scott whispered to him, Isaac still looking downcast.

“Dad…”

“Is gone. He is gone, and he is never coming back, I’ll make sure of that. And if he somehow does come back, I’ll destroy him all over again. You’re mine Isaac. Don’t let him get to you. He spent his life making you miserable, but he’s dead. Don’t let him win now. This is full of people who care about you. Well, maybe not Jackson, but well, he doesn’t really count. You’re one of Stiles best friends, your Ethan’s best friend, Malia looks up to you, you’re the little brother Lydia never wanted, you and Kira gossip about me and I know you do, you and Aiden get all nerdy and talk about comics for ages, Grandma is encouraging me to keep you because she approves of you, and you’re yet another kid that mom never had. You are not worthless to any of us, and you are not pathetic either, you hear me?” he intoned, and counted it as a victory that Isaac wasn’t crying anymore, and that he gave him a weak nod.

“It’s just that…”

“I know. Seeing him come back and pick up where he left off has to have messed with you. But you can’t let him win.” Scott insisted, and Isaac looked at him uncertainly.

“He called me…you know, the stuff that Danny hates being called, and he said that…that I didn’t deserve to be with you, that I…” he whimpered, but Scott took his face in both hands and looked intently into his eyes.

“Isaac Lahey, you listen to me right now. It would be bad enough if you let everything else he said hurt you, but if you let him mess with us, that’ll be even worse. Let me tell you something. You are not worthless, and you are not pathetic. But above all else, you are in no way unworthy of anyone. You think you don’t deserve to be with me? It’s me who doesn’t deserve to be with you, especially after what I did to you. Hey, do you think the captain of the lacrosse team,” he asked grinning, “would want to be with any random guy? I fell in love with you when I thought I was straight! I fell for this gorgeous, sweet, funny guy who totally changed the way I looked at things. The guy I was then stupid enough to dump, and who was crazy enough to take me back. That’s who I fell in love with. I fell in love with you Isaac, and nothing your dad says will ever change that. I love you more than anything ok? So don’t you ever say that you don’t deserve me, because you do. Your dad was vile, and he’s gone. So please, don’t let him win now, don’t let him destroy us.” Scott begged, nuzzling Isaac, who he was delighted to see had a cute little flush on his cheeks.

“Scott…” he said, sounding kind of embarrassed and Scott grinned, counting that one as a win, nuzzling him.

“Don’t you dare listen to him, you hear me?” he whispered softly, and Isaac gave a little sniff and nodded slightly, before Scott got to his feet.

“I hear you.” Isaac mumbled, and Scott took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Good. Come on, come back to bed and cuddle up. You’re freezing again.” He chided, and Isaac nodded dolefully, Scott leading him towards the bed.

Scott moved to take his dressing gown off, but a look from Isaac made him keep it on and he climbed into the bed, and after a brief hesitation, Isaac climbed in beside him, shivering as he cuddled up to Scott, curled up against his warm exposed chest. Scott laid there, gently stroking Isaac’s hair, feeling Isaac calming down. He knew that there would be a fallout from his dad coming back and attacking him, but despite the progress he had made he knew Isaac was still going to be a little skittish after being attacked by his dad all over again. But he had won, and considering Isaac was cuddling into him as usual (actually more than usual because he was cold), he reckoned he’d done a pretty good job.

“Scott?” Isaac whispered and Scott gently kissed his hair.

“What?” he asked huskily, his fingers gently stroking through his hair.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, and Scott gently tilted Isaac’s head, which was lying on his shoulder, up to look at him, seeing Isaac’s grateful but embarrassed look.

“What do you mean you’re sorry, what for?” he asked softly, stroking Isaac’s lips with his

Isaac shrugged a little, not meeting his eyes, ashamed.

“For how much of a state I was in, I’m sorry. I know, you’re right. I just…dad being back, it freaked me out, and I kind of lost it. I’m sorry.” He whispered, and Scott sat up, knocking Isaac off his chest with a tiny yelp.

Isaac looked at Scott uncertainly as Scott took his face in his hands, lifting him up so he could lean his head against his boyfriend’s.

“Don’t you dare apologise. Isaac he destroyed your life as much as he could when he was alive, and you thought you were finally free from him, and then he came back determined to destroy your life again. You were more than entitled to be a little freaked out. In fact, very freaked out. But you hear me right? You can’t let him in, if you do, he if you let him mess with your head, then you’ll never be free of him. And you are free. He isn’t your family anymore. We are. I am.” He concluded, and to his surprise, Isaac kissed him.

“I know you are. You most of all. I’m just…sorry he got me into such a state, and you had to deal with me.” He muttered softly, kissing his jaw and Scott moaned a little as he felt Isaac’s tongue gently lick his jaw.

“Isaac…” Scott groaned and Isaac pulled away, looking as if he was afraid he had done something wrong, but Scott pulled him back in close.

“You’re my boyfriend. I love you more than anything. It’s kind of in my job description to deal with you, no matter how crappy a time you’re having with it. That’s what boyfriends are for.” He whispered, and Isaac smiled hesitantly.

“Thanks.” He said, and he kissed Scott again, and Scott ran his fingers trhough the back of Isaac’s hair.

“You know, I only groaned because you were torturing me.” He said playfully, and Isaac smiled and nuzzled him before lying back down, making a little noise that Scott took as a demand for his boyfriend to cuddle up beside him, which he happily did, holding Isaac in his arms, Isaac’s head just below his chin, Isaac almost back to normal, but Scott could tell he was still a little skittish. But, he was lying beside Scott, hugging a little closer to him than he usually did mind you, but Scott reckoned he’d done a pretty good job. And then he felt Isaac’s pleasantly cool hand start stroking his abs and he moaned in pleasure.

“What did I miss?” Isaac asked, and Scott hushed him, kissing him softly.

“Later. Let’s get some more sleep, then I can catch you up. But…I’ve got an idea I think you’re going to like.” He teased, and smirked as Isaac looked at him excitedly, his eyes glinting with mischief.

 

XX

 

“Oh my…don’t mind having double vision for that.” Allegra commented under her breath as the twins swapped the bathroom, so both of them were wearing nothing other than a towel as Aiden came out and Ethan went in.

“Mother!” Melissa scolded, scandalised and Allegra shrugged innocently as she followed her daughter down the stairs, to see Stiles on the phone, looking worried as Malia stuck her head out the door, which was apparently to check that there were no more strange smells floating around.

“Dad, calm down, what’s happening?” Stiles asked, Allegra coming to a stop, looking at Stiles curiously as Melissa headed into the kitchen where Lydia was in charge of making pots of coffee.

“Stiles?” Allegra asked, coming closer, and Stiles, seeing her approach, put the phone on speaker while simultaneously pulling Malia back in from the doorway, as she had been about to make a beeline for a squirrel, which she apparently detested with a fiery passion.

“Dad, calm down and tell us over again.” Stiles said, wagging his finger at Malia, who grinned at him and looked at the phone.

“I said they’re moving Derek! They’re transferring him to county!” the sheriff exclaimed, and Allegra hissed.

“He doesn’t have a case, if anything, Derek killed those people in self defence, and besides, your deputy has a link to the Hale Arson case which means anything he has is circumstantial anyway and he’s only pushed it through, there’s no reason to move him to county!” she declared.

“I know Allegra, but they feel that the fact that he has been attacked in the prison, where he’s meant to be safe in solitary, not only once but twice, is rather a bad reflection on the prison. Don’t get me wrong, if it was any other prisoner I would actually agree but with it being Derek, we don’t want him moved to county, it will only make it more difficult to get him out of there.” He complained, and Allegra nodded.

“I agree, and having to move his prison, especially after two attacks, will only make a judge less likely to favour Derek in any way, because even innocent he’ll still get the blame. Can we stop it in any way?” she asked worriedly, while Stiles looked at her hopefully, as if she would have an answer to the situation.

“I doubt it, the warden is moving him tomorrow, and for the time being he has a guard outside his cell at all times. Unless we can prove that Derek was innocent in this, or was acting in self-defence, we have nothing we can do until the thing comes to trial and we get it disproven in court, but if he moves to county that will only make it more difficult.” He grumbled, and Allegra sighed, because he was right, they were rather stuck.

“Damn.” Allegra cursed, seeing no way out of this problem.

“So if they’re moving Derek, what do we do now?” Malia asked worriedly and the sheriff sighed wearily.

“I have no idea kiddo, but I’ll think of something. Parrish is still up there, seeing if he can get anywhere with the warden, but I’m not hopeful. I think we’re kind of stuck with this one. Can you tell Scott?” he asked, and Stiles assured him he would before he hung up.

“Coffee?” Kira asked, and Allegra gratefully took a cup as Scott and Isaac came down the stairs, Isaac’s hand in Scott’s, Scott’s hair his usual slightly spiky style and was wearing a green hoody over his tank top while Isaac’s quiff looked combed, and he was clad in a long sleeved tshirt.

“Please.” Allegra said, gratefully accepting the cup as the boys headed for the kitchen, Isaac looking around nervously, which prompted Stiles to swoop in and wrap his arm around his shoulder.

“You ok dude?” he asked, and Isaac nodded, still not looking completely back to normal but looking cheerful enough to be getting on with.

“Yeah. So what else did I miss last night, other than the night of the living dead and a sleepover?” he asked, chasing Lydia out of the way of the stove as she made everyone a massive load of scrambled eggs.

“Housewife.” Lydia grumbled, affronted at being so unceremoniously thrown from her position and Isaac gave her an irritating grin, and Scott gave her an amused but chiding look as she sat and pouted at the table.

As they filled Isaac in on their various misadventures, it was the behaviour of Scott, Stiles and Aiden that caught the eye of the two women of the house, making Melissa and Allegra look at each other for explanation, receive none and just shrug as the three boys ferried as much ice as they could carry up the stairs. Ethan had reappeared, and either under his own self-appointed obligation as Isaac’s bodyguard, the fact that Isaac was his best friend, or under orders from Scott, he was sticking close to Isaac, making Isaac roll his eyes and keep chasing him away, only for his persistent bodyguard to return seconds later. Meanwhile, Kira, Jackson (reluctantly) and Danny were all clearing up the mess from the night before, oblivious to what Scott and the others were doing as Isaac began dishing up numerous plates of scrambled egg and little sausages that Melissa had actually bought for her to snack on at the hospital, with Lydia assuring her they would get her replacements for all the food they had eaten. With that, the entire pack traipsed through to the living room armed with cutlery, plates and rumbling stomachs, while Kira and Lydia brought through some fresh coffee.

“Just think dear, you didn’t need that useless lump you married…look at all the kids you got with only trying for one.” Allegra said in amusement, and Melissa shot her an exasperated look.

“I mean, yeah, it’s great he has so many friends and they’re all part of his pack, and I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything…”

“Couldn’t blame you if you wanted to sell off Abercrombie and Fitch over there.” Allegra commented in distaste, pointing at Jackson, Melissa smiling in amusement.

“He isn’t so bad, he’s a bit of a dick, sure but deep down he’s alright. Anyway, I’m glad he has them all, but…do they have to keep coming here? No wonder the place is falling apart, it’s filled with an army of werewolves and other animals.” She complained, not entirely meaning it and she handed napkins to everyone as she and Allegra also tucked into their breakfast before any hungry wolf swiped it.

“So Derek is being moved to county? Can’t your dad do anything about it?” Scott asked hopefully, and Stiles shook his head.

“Sorry dude. Besides, he’s right, if it was anyone but Derek we wouldn’t mind them being moved to county, but that doesn’t help us, especially when we’re still no closer to getting him out of there.” He lamented, running his hands through his hair tiredly and Scott sighed in exasperation, Isaac running his knee along his leg to calm him.

“Great, as if we didn’t have enough problems.” He complained, and Allegra shot him a chiding look.

“You’re far too young to be so cynical dear. Besides, I’m going to go and have a word with the sheriff, see if we can get any way around it. Don’t give up just yet.” She counselled, and Kira looked as though she had just been struck by an idea.

“What if it’s all connected?” she asked, and Scott looked at her curiously.

“What do you mean?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“Exactly that, what if Derek and his trial are linked to whoever and whatever are behind the revenants attacking us?” she theorised, but Jackson scowled.

“Yeah but at the same time Derek was being accused of the murders, whoever was kidnapping me was still in London, how can they be linked?” he asked, and Aiden turned his eyes onto Jackson, narrowed in distaste.

“All I know is this crap all started the moment you showed up. The Pombero, the flying thing, whists, revenants, you turn up and they all start appearing, what are we meant to make of that?” he challenged, and Scott exchanged an exasperated look with Kira, he could see where this was going. Mind you, Lydia resentment fuelled as it was, Aiden was right, it had all started when Jackson had showed back up, and it could somehow be linked.

“Wait, you think I’m behind this? Get lost, I’m not a monster anymore.” He complained, and Kira quirked an eyebrow.

“From what we hear you’re not exactly a saint either.” She pointed out, Jackson letting out a warning growl as she did so, which made both twins raise their heckles, and Melissa looked pointedly at Scott, after all, this room was still in one relative piece and she’d prefer there wasn’t a showdown in her living room.

“Yeah well that wasn’t anything to do with me, I’m just a normal werewolf now, and I swear I don’t have anything to do with this!” he exclaimed, and Scott held up a hand, quietening him before he got even more wound up than he already was.

“I know you don’t, you’re not behind this certainly. But Aiden is right, this all started when you showed up.” He said in a voice of forced calm, and Jackson looked at him indignantly.

“I was locked in a bloody box! How am I meant to have anything to do with this when I was locked in a damn box, I was in a sort of coma for months as well, how am I linked to any of this?” he demanded angrily, waving his arm around angrily for emphasis, and Danny gently took a hold of his wrist.

“This could be a link. Jackson, whatever’s going on with your arm isn’t normal, or human, and there’s a lot of stuff happening in town that we don’t understand, which means, whoever did this could be linked to you, because all this started when you showed up. You coming back, your arm, all of it, it could all go back to the same thing.” He explained patiently, and Jackson scowled but sat back down.

“And basically I’m fed up of floundering around without any answers. And you might actually be able to give us some, and since Kira might have a point and this could help Derek too, which we kind of need right now since he’s getting moved to county. So, we’re going to see what you know.” Scott said, and beside him, Isaac’s eyes widened in gleeful delight as he figured out just what his boyfriend was up to.

Jackson, who had seen said gleeful look, was less than happy with this development.

“But I don’t know anything!” he protested, and Stiles, cottoning on, grinned maliciously.

“That you know of. But you might remember something.” He said cheerfully, making everyone look at the three pack leaders as though they were crazy .

“I sincerely hope we aren’t becoming accessories to torture or murder just by sitting here minding our own business.” Allegra whispered and Melissa stuck a hand into her mouth to stop giggling while Scott grinned.

“Come on Jackson, I want answers, and I want them now.” He ordered, getting to his feet, and Kira sighed.

“Boys.” She complained, getting to her feet while Allegra and Melissa did so too.

“Right I need to go and see the sheriff, and you dear need to get to work. And you only let them work you a few hours, you better be there to see me off or no Christmas mince pies.” She warned, and Melissa smiled.

“Will do mom. And boys…if you do wind up killing Jackson, please don’t tell me, and make sure you hide the body well.” She asked hopefully, and Jackson sent her a scandalised look as the two women swept out the door.

 

XX

 

“You want me to go in there, and trust some of you not to drown me, in the vague hope that I’ll remember something useful?” Jackson asked in disbelief as he looked at the bath filled with water, ice cubes floating merrily in it, the blind still drawn so that the bathroom was in half light.

“Yep. It does work, it’s worked before. Basically, it slows your heart rate to a trance like state, and then we can follow certain memories.” Scott explained kindly, and for some reason, Jackson actually did find that reassuring, not that he would admit it.

“But I can’t remember anything, so how do we know I’m not just risking frostbite for nothing?” he asked uncertainly, and Scott shook his head slightly.

“There’s no guarantee it will work, but it might help us find out what happened to you if nothing else.” Scott said mildly, and he could tell that that at least caught Jackson’s attention, because he did want to know how he had wound up here and what their game had been in the first place.

But despite that, there was still one obstacle to overcome.

He actually had to get Jackson to willingly go in the water, force wouldn’t work, he would be too agitated. And asking Jackson to climb into a tub of ice cold water just wasn’t going to fly.

“Yeah, that sounds great, but there’s no way I am going in there.” Jackson said stubbornly, and Danny, who had joined them to try and convince Jackson, sighed.

“Jackson, you said yourself you wanted to know who was behind this! It’s only a little tub of ice water.” He dismissed, and Jackson raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You climb in then if you’re so keen!”

“I don’t have any lost memories…and besides, I’m not going in there, it’s cold.” He replied and Scott rolled his eyes.

“Jackson, this will help you!” he insisted, and Jackson looked sceptically at the bath.

“Nuh uh, no way, not doing it, there’s nothing you can say that will make me do it.” He declared, just as Isaac entered.

“You know, I did it without complaining. Just saying.” He said idly, standing behind Scott, who took his hand and kissed his healed fingers.

Jackson looked as though he was thinking of several things he could say to that, several rebuttals that he longed to throw at him, but in the end he sighed in annoyance, stripped off his top and his jeans and socks, standing only in his underwear, and after looking at the bath hesitantly, he took a deep breath and climbed in, gasping a little as he did.

“Bugger me.” He gasped, shivering a little as he sat down in the icy water, and a small, sadistic part of Scott couldn’t deny, he was enjoying this slightly.

“Now…I just need someone willing to drown you.” He said cheerfully, Jackson glaring at him as he did so.

“Oh, oh, pick me, oh, pick me!” Stiles begged as he bounded into the bathroom, looking excited as the prospect, nor was he the only one, Isaac’s eyes were dancing with joy at the very thought.

“Um, no.” Scott said to an exuberant Stiles, who seemed to sag rather comically upon his smiling Alpha’s answer.

“What, why not?” he asked petulantly and Jackson glowered up at him.

“Because you’re a hyperactive maniac at the best of times, never mind when you’re drowning me!” he snapped irritably, making the others smile.

“Well…actually yes, kind of. I don’t think it’s a good idea if you get to drown Jackson, old wounds and all that.” Scott told him, amused, and Stiles scowled and sat down on the toilet in a huff.

“You’re no fun.” He complained, and Scott turned to an eagerly grinning Isaac, and shook his head, making Isaac deflate slightly.

“Why not?” he complained, and Scott grinned.

“Well, out of everyone, I think you and Stiles might actually try and drown him.” He said, amused, and a shivering Jackson nodded, waving his hand to try and get Scott to hurry up, and Isaac pouted.

“Fine, party pooper.” He muttered, but Scott nuzzled him a little.

“But, and bear in mind this may be personal bias, you have the sexiest voice out of all of us, so I need you to be the one who talks to him while he’s in the water, guide him, ok?” Scott asked, and Isaac considered the almost naked, shivering Jackson in the water, imagining frost on his fauxhawk and nodded, it was better than nothing, at least he could still take a little savage pleasure out of the situation.

“Ok, I can do that.” He said, grinning a little, and Jackson gave him a nervous look while Stiles scowled at Scott, who shrugged helplessly.

“Sorry dude, he has a nice voice!” he protested guiltily, and Stiles harrumphed, though smiled a little.

“Can we hurry this up, I’m freezing important parts off here!” Jackson urged and Isaac rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t complain this much you know.” He said simply, earning him another lethal glare from Jackson.

“I’ll drown you, how’s that sound? You trust me right?” Danny asked, and Jackson nodded, his teeth chattering, and Scott nodded too.

“Yeah, Danny and me, or do you not trust me?” he asked, looking genuinely curious, and Jackson briefly considered before nodding, shivering as he did so.

“Yeah I trust you.” He said uncertainly, and Scott exchanged a look with a sceptical Danny, and both of them placed a hand on Jackson’s bare chest, his nipples erect with the cold, his teeth chattering, and pushed him backwards, under the water.

Danny looked down in distaste, and Isaac gently stroked Scott’s shoulder reassuringly as Stiles peered over their backs, looking as Jackson struggled under the water. With a roar, Jackson sat bolt upright, water running off his head, blue eyes glowing as he struggled, and Stiles bent over to help Danny, who looked slightly worried that Jackson would be too strong for him to control. Scott glared down at Jackson, trying to get him to calm down, but he was struggling, splashing water everywhere while Isaac looked on nervously. With an exertion, they forced Jackson back under, water still splashing everywhere as they buried him under the water and ice, his body still struggling as they did so, Danny looking vaguely sickened with himself as he did it. Jackson reared again, trying to get out of the hold, claws gouging into the side of the bath, water spraying off him, instinct taking over, but with a final push, the three boys managed to get him back under the water, and while he kicked and struggled a little, he slowed down, and finally went still. Danny looked frantically at Scott, but Stiles reassuringly patted his back and they let go, Jackson’s now still body floating to the surface, breaking the cover of ice, and Danny relaxed as Jackson took a breath.

Isaac then took a step forward, sitting on the edge of the bath, an odd expression on his face as he surveyed the nearly unconscious wolf floating in the water, the entire room silent.

“Only I talk to him right?” Isaac asked, and Scott nodded, too many voices would distract him, and Danny kneeled down beside the tub, holding Jackson’s bare shoulder and rubbing it with his thumb while Scott had his hand on Jackson’s well developed abs, wincing as he kneeled on the tiled floor.

Stiles laid a reassuring hand on Danny’s back and nodded encouragingly to Isaac, who licked his lips, took a deep breath, and after exchanging a dark look with Scott, turned his attention to the almost unconscious Jackson.

“Jackson, can you hear me?” he asked, and Jackson, his eyes almost closed, a thin sliver of them just visible under his wet eyelashes.

“Yeah, I can hear you.” He answered, his voice slightly gasping because of the cold, but he remained calm nonetheless.

“We need to know about what happened to you, we need to know how you got here, who put you in the box. So I’m going to need your help ok?” Isaac asked, and Stiles had to admit, he did have a nice voice.

“Ok.” Jackson replied, his water slick against his head, his eyes closed as he laid in the water peacefully.

“Good. Now, we need you to think back to what happened to you, the last time you can remember being in London. We need you to think back to what happened to you there, what the last thing you saw was, and we need as many details as you can give us.” Isaac said softly, but to his surprise, Jackson shook his head, which Scott felt was a good sign, if he knew them and didn’t want to think of them, then that hopefully meant that the answers were buried in his subconscious.

“No, I won’t think about that again, I won’t do it.” He insisted stubbornly, and Danny exchanged a worried look with Scott, it wasn’t like Jackson to sound so worried about something.

Isaac looked at Stiles as if for guidance, and Stiles made some letters with his fingers. Isaac got the w, but everything else was a total blur, so he gestured helplessly but then was apparently struck with a flash on inspiration.

“Jackson, why don’t you want to think about that?” he asked, and Stiles sagged in annoyance, as that was clearly what he had been suggesting to Isaac he ask him, and Danny and Scott tried to stop themselves from sniggering at the pantomime going on behind them.

“I don’t, I don’t want to.” Jackson insisted, splashing around in the water in distress, and his two holders held him to stop him getting so agitated.

“It’s ok Jackson, just calm down. They’re just memories, and I know it doesn’t seem like it but you can’t be hurt by memories. How about this, can you tell us when it all started?” Isaac asked, making Stiles give him an uncomprehending look, and Isaac drew a line with his finger, which made Stiles look even more confused but he kept quiet.

“I don’t want to.” Jackson said softly, and Isaac nodded understandingly.

“I know you don’t. But we need your help Jackson, we need to find out what happened to you. So can you tell us what happened the night all this began?” he asked insistently, and Jackson started to get agitated again, splashing about as if he was trying to escape from the thought of it.

“No, he’s there, I can see him…” Jackson panted worriedly, and that at least was progress.

“Jackson, its ok, just relax. Whoever he is, he’s a memory ok? A memory can’t hurt you, not really. It’s just a memory, take a deep breath.” Isaac counselled, and Jackson did so, relaxing, to everyone’s relief.

“Good. Now, can you tell me what happened?” Isaac asked, and Jackson scrunched his face up but did as asked.

“I’d picked out smells for days, I thought it was another wolf pack in the area, but…they smelled off, sick. I was out at night…and they started chasing me, I thought I was safe in the house, but they chased me through it, across town.” Jackson recounted, eyes still closed as he went through his story, and the others were now all frowning worriedly.

“They, who are they?” Isaac asked, and Jackson squirmed a little, clearly not liking thinking of this.

“There were…seven of them…I think.” Jackson replied, and Scott silently mouthed the number in shock, great, did that mean they potentially had seven bad guys after them, that was a new record.

“Seven of them? Seven of who? What did they do?”

“They surrounded me, attacked me…his eyes, his eyes, they were there!” Jackson cried out, thrashing about in the water again, and Scott had to help Danny subdue him, Isaac trying to soothe Jackson as he panicked, these eyes, whatever the hell they were clearly terrifying him.

“Jackson, its ok, it’s just a memory, a memory can’t hurt you, you can’t be hurt by a memory. Just relax.” Isaac ordered, and Jackson began to calm down.

“They’re just memories. So, they attacked you, what happened next?” Isaac asked, the room tense as he was clearly getting agitated and if they weren’t careful they could lose him.

“They kidnapped me, I woke up in some…old building.” Jackson said, and Isaac nodded.

“Very good, can you tell us what sort of building it was?” he asked, and Jackson looked as though he was having difficulty remembering.

“It’s old, sort of dark, and dirty, very dirty. It’s big, and there’s old beds and chairs in it.” He explained, and Isaac considered, figuring it was either an old hotel or an old hospital, one of the two certainly.

“Good, what happened there?” he asked, going through with his plan of getting Jackson to work up to the part he didn’t want to think about.

“They…I can’t remember. I was there for ages…but he was there…” Jackson whimpered, starting to get agitated and thrashing about again, and Isaac bit his lip, whatever this guy had done, it scared the crap out of Jackson.

“Calm down, just relax. He’s a memory Jackson, and he can’t hurt you. Now, relax, and tell us what happened.” Isaac ordered, and Jackson gave a little whimper, and Scott let out a slight gasp as Jackson dug his claws into his wrist, but figured if it helped them get some information from him, he could put up with the pain.

Jackson’s eyes twitched as the various scenes played out in front of him.

_Hung across the wall, massive spikes embedded in his hands as if he was being crucified, the only light coming from the low yellow lamps that his captors used for light, throwing him into almost total darkness, only the corner and the dim light in the corridor casting any light on the pair of glowing red eyes as he was lashed with the whip, as something cold froze his insides, that mocked him as he cried…kept in a store cupboard, freezing as the wind rattled through the building, the smell of the one with the glowing white eyes as he hung menacingly above him…the slight kindness of the blue eyed one, her work to fix him after some of them went too far…the hulking brute, the one with the white eyes and the two with the red eyes lashing him, clawing him, ripping him, needling him as those terrible sickly yellow eyes looked on…the session in the pitch darkness, Jackson screaming in pain and fear, the glowing yellow eyes terrifying him, as if he was burning from the inside as his captor stroked his bare chest and clawed it at the same time…his attempt to escape, only to run into the two with the glowing red eyes and seeing what they truly looked like, screaming in terror as they pounced while others laughed…crying in the closet, freezing, his almost naked body shivering, caked in dirt, blood and grime, chains digging in, begging for death, hearing a vaguely familiar voice outside his closet…the strange apology from the younger of the two with the red eyes…and then, the one with the yellow eyes stroking his bare body as his minions injected something into his neck, his struggling, the big one smacking him on the back of the head, collapsing as others laughed, eyes rolling back as he was lifted into a box, a smell burning at his nose, making him feel nauseous, being wheeled outside, the sun blinding him, and then his own protests as the one with the yellow eyes closed the lid of his box, trapping him in darkness as unconsciousness claimed him…_

Then a barrage of other images, of sounds assaulted him and Jackson roared as he sat bolt upright, his heart hammering, claws making someone cry out in pain and blood splash into the bath, Isaac, Stiles and Danny trying to soothe him as he shook, from cold and from fear, and all he knew was he never wanted to see those yellow eyes again.

“It’s ok buddy, we’ve got you, you’re home.” Stiles assured him, helping him to his feet, and Danny wrapped a towel around his shivering body, before wrapping him in a hug as Jackson shook with fear and cold.

“They tortured you…Jackson, I’m so sorry I made you do that.” Scott said, looking ashamed of himself, and after forcing a coddling Danny off, Jackson shook his head.

“No, you were right, I needed to know. They…I remember now, they wanted information about all of you, I don’t know how much I wound up telling them.” He mumbled, but Scott shook his head.

“I would never have made you do that if I knew you’d been tortured. And besides, you’ve been gone a while, what’s the most damaging thing you could have told them about, Danny’s love life? It’s fine…and if it isn’t, we’ll deal with it ok?” Scott asked, and Jackson nodded, still looking a bit haggard after what he had remember.

As he had been screaming all the way through it, yelling what was happening, they all had a pretty good idea of what he had been through before he had been sealed in the crate and sent back to them. But, Scott mused as he considered Jackson’s blackened arm, he couldn’t help but feel that was in some way linked to whatever had happened while Jackson had been in captivity.

“Look on the bright side.” Isaac suggested softly, and Jackson, contrary to belief, didn’t scowl or scoff or anything he just snorted in amusement.

“What, you reckon I’ll develop a BDSM thing?” he challenged, grinning a little, and Isaac shook his head.

“No. But while you were yelling, you did give us something. You gave us a name. Agravaine.”

 

XX

 

Danny had taken Jackson home to find him some clothes (he had refused point blank to wear either of the other boys underwear, and still slightly freaked to learn his best friend had been tortured Danny had insisted he go home anyway) and with the news that there was potentially a group of seven other creatures in town, and that their leader was called Agravaine, the others had all dispersed to see what they could find on the subject, if anything. While they did so, Stiles was sitting in the living room, considering his options.

Allison was back, and unlike the others, he wasn’t quite as concerned with the how, as he was with the why. She and the others had all been brought back to play mind games with the pack, and this Agravaine guy meant serious bad news. He had tortured Jackson relentlessly, and appeared to be the one behind the rising of the dead, both dog and human, all over town which meant he was someone who wasn’t to be played with. But now, the very person who he had gotten killed was back, and where exactly did that leave him?

He still had the Nogitsune inside him, that much was apparent. The healing, the way his mind worked now, his strength when he’d been attacked by Allison, all of it, they all pointed to the same thing. The Nogitsune wasn’t gone. It was still there, he was still in it’s thrall, and that thing, that thing that had made him such a threat, that had gotten so many people killed, the thing that had gotten one of his best friends killed, and it was still a part of him.

He didn’t know what to do. As much as he was one of the brainer ones in the pack, he wasn’t the only brains of the outfit, but even then, he still had no idea how the hell he was going to stop this. The Nogitsune was still a part of him, and he had to stop it, before he got anyone else killed. Scott, Malia, Isaac, the twins, any of them, all of them, they were all in danger if he didn’t find a way to stop this damn thing. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t, be used against his friends again, he had to find a way to stop it, otherwise it would be too late, he had to do something, anything to stop it all happening again.

But what did he do about it? All he knew was that he didn’t want to hurt anyone again, but that really depended on how much Nogitsune was left inside him. Was there enough to take him over completely, or would he be able to fight it?

As these various questions paraded around his head, the door opened, jarring Stiles from his thoughts as Allegra came back, looking supremely annoyed.

“The devil vomits into my kettle once more!” she ranted, flopping down into the seat beside him, stirring him from his brooding.

“No way around it huh?” Stiles asked grimly, and she shook her head, looking supremely irritated.

“No, there isn’t. They’re moving him for his own safety, and interfering with that would open them to all sorts of human rights problems which are a pain in the ass to get round. And realistically, there’s no reason not to move Derek, only problem is if we do, his trial will be delayed, could impact his defence, and he’s too far away to help or be helped should he need it.” She mused, hoping that if she sat there long enough Stiles would take pity on her and make her a cup of tea.

“So we’re screwed either way? We can’t do anything?” Stiles asked, and she shook her head.

“I’m afraid not, not unless we can think of something very quickly. And how are you coping darling?” she asked shrewdly, not at all convinced that he was entirely with the program, and he let out a half-hearted laugh.

“Am I that obvious?” he asked grimly, and she gave him a small smile.

“Only to someone who’s known you for a very long time like I have. Scott’s worried about you, we all are. So why not tell grandma what’s really bothering you?” she asked, and Stiles sighed, looking the most lost and confused that she had ever seen him, but, maybe, just maybe, she could help him, so he went on with it.

“You know what the Nogitsune did right? When it possessed me? I had no control, and it was just out to cause pain, and chaos, just wanted to hurt people because it could, and because it was in me, it made me do it too. I saw myself doing it, I sent Barrow after Kira, building bombs, hurting people…I got Isaac put in hospital, I tortured Aiden, twisted a sword in Scott’s stomach, and all through it I didn’t have any control, I could see myself doing it, but I couldn’t do anything about it! And then after everything, after Allison died, I thought it was -over, that I was free.” He whispered, and Allegra looked at him expectantly, seeing the guilt was still torturing him.

“Darling, you had no control over any of it, you can’t hold yourself responsible for what the noonoo made you do.” She said kindly, and Stiles hesitated as she mispronounced it but shrugged, looking despondent.

“It was in me, it was using my body, my hands, my brain, all of it, to do what it did. It used me to hurt and kill people, it used me to get control of the Oni, and that means it used me to kill Allison. I know the others all blame themselves, but it’s me who’s really to blame, and now we know she blames me as well.” He said sadly, and Allegra sighed sadly, stroking his hair comfortingly.

“No dear, whatever these revenants are, whoever is behind them, they’re dangerous, and they’re not the real people. You heard what Deaton said, and whatever else you might all think of him, I believe he was telling the truth about that. Whatever they did to bring back the revenants they didn’t bring them back, not totally. Allison doesn’t blame you for what happened to her, I’m certain of that.” She assured him, but he didn’t look convinced.

“Well, ever since we stopped the Nogitsune I’ve noticed that…it’s not really gone. It’s still in me!” he said in a panic, and Allegra, rapidly feeling like she was getting far from her area of expertise, put a hand on his shoulder to calm and console him.

“Stiles, you need to calm down. Scott told me they incinerated the damn thing, how can it still be inside you?” she asked in confusion, and Stiles looked at his hands, self-loathing, fear and panic marking his face.

“It was when Allison attacked…she was twisting the arrow inside me,” he explained, and Allegra let out a little noise of panic at the thought, “I…I changed, I got stronger, I took her wrists and forced her to back off, and the stuff I said…I think it’s still in me. I mean, there’s other things, I heal faster than I should, my reflexes are better, I’m stronger…and all that should be great, but I know where it came from, it came from the Nogitsune, and I don’t want to go back to being that, but I can still feel it, it’s still part of me!” Stiles panicked hysterically, and Allegra got to her feet and sat on the coffee table, staring into Stiles’ face.

“Stiles, I need you to listen to me ok? Calm down first of all, you need to calm down, take a deep breath, remember how I used to get you to calm down?” she asked, the afternoons dealing with two boys coming back to her, and despite himself, he smiled, remembering how she used to do it, by getting him to repeat a tongue twister. He started doing so, the focus on getting it right calming him down, slowing down his brain, his heart and his speech, and she was nodding encouragingly beside him.

“Good lad. Now...I don’t pretend to have any idea of what you went through when you were possessed by the Nogtail, but I do know this. That thing is not you. I’ve known you since that day I came to visit my grandson, picked up the baby in the cot and it took me half an hour to figure out you weren’t him since Melissa was giving him a bath. You are not what that thing made you. And I know you well enough to know that other than a tremendous amount of guilt for something you had no control of, and a girlfriend who I approve of, you are still the same boy I would take out to feed the ducks with Scott.” She assured him, but Stiles looked at her desperately.

“But all the stuff, what happened when I was with Allison, its still part of me!” he insisted, and she nodded wisely.

“It probably is dear. You see, it was you, or at least part of you, for quite some time. That’s bound to leave a mark. Did the Nognog do anything that actually helped you?” she asked curiously, and he shrugged a little before nodding.

“Well, yeah, it made me a bit braver, made me more confident I suppose.” He muttered, and she nodded sagely.

“Exactly. So it became part of you, and some of it rubbed off on you dear. What I’m saying is, some of it has become part of you, but the thing itself is gone. Think of it like a virus, it sucks that you had it, but it made you stronger because you got it. Stiles…this thing was a part of you, but it’s gone. But some of it was always going to remain.” She soothed, but he looked at her sceptically.

“Yeah but…I still feel part of it inside me, a sort of darkness, the part that fed it and I really don’t want to become like that again. It’s still in me, like…it’s in my head, a darkness, it’s evil and I can’t get rid of it.” He explained, and Allegra nodded, understanding his fear.

“I see. Stiles, I don’t pretend that I know what is going on inside that head of yours, or about whatever it was that possessed you. Let’s face it, none of us knew what was going on in there even before all this happened. That thing, whatever it was, warped and twisted you into something you aren’t. That will leave a mark, what happened to you, what it made you do, of course there’s going to be a fallout from it. So yes, there may well still be a darkness left inside you. But that’s all it is, just a little bit of darkness inside someone who is really quite far from it. We all have darkness inside us, and usually, it comes out when we’re most threatened. You my dear just have a little bit more inside you, courtesy of that thing which possessed you. You aren’t a bad person, and none of what happened was your fault. I need you to believe that.” Allegra insisted, but Stiles didn’t look convinced.

“It’s still a part of me.” He mumbled, and she nodded.

“Yes. But, the way I see it, it’s like a disease. Either you rue the fact that it is part of you, however much that may suck, but accept it, or otherwise, you let it whittle and beat you down until there’s nothing left. And I’m pretty sure you won’t do that.” She said fondly, and Stiles sighed, giving her a sad smile.

“I just…I know it’s still part of me. And I don’t want to go down that route again.” He said, and Allegra patted his knee fondly.

“And I don’t think you will darling. Remember, you have an entire pack worth of people who love you. Don’t block them out. They love you, they care about you, so don’t keep them at arm’s length. They don’t deserve it, and neither do you.” She told him before getting to her feet and kissing his forehead, leaving Stiles feeling slightly better than he had.

However, despite Allegra’s reassurances there was still something that was bothering him…the fact that while there was an entire pack around him, a monster like him didn’t deserve their help even if he wanted it.

The Nogitsune was gone, and that was all well and good.

But he was still here, and the Nogitsune was still a part of him.

And that was what he couldn’t live with.

 

XX

 

“Did you doubt me?” Melissa asked as the four of them helped Allegra into the station with her bags, Melissa glaring at her blackmail gains, which Allegra only smiled in response to.

“Never dear, just your ability to be on time for anything which you inherit from your father, man was late for his own funeral.” Allegra lamented, and Scott sniggered in Isaac’s ear.

“She isn’t kidding, everyone was at the church, the hearse had broken down. I mean it was bad at the time, but really kind of funny afterwards.” He whispered, and Isaac snorted in amusement, noticing that as Scott had whispered to him that his gaze hadn’t left Stiles, who, although looking slightly happier than he had done, was still not his usual self.

Melissa looked sceptically at Stiles, but her mother had just assured her that he needed time, but that they were to keep an eye on him just in case, especially since he believed that the Nogitsune was still a part of him. Admittedly it was most likely paranoia, but well, she couldn’t help but feel slightly worried, the Nogitsune was a nightmare that none of them wanted to repeat.

“I’m glad you came mom, thank you.” Melissa said, hugging her mother fiercely, and Allegra held her fiercely, petting her hair lovingly.

“And I’m glad I came too darling. I’m proud of you both, always was. And don’t worry about the house, all of it will sort itself out.” She assured her daughter, and oddly enough, Melissa actually believed her.

“Thanks mom.” She said happily, giving her mother’s ill-gotten gains a dirty look as Allegra smiled.

“You’re welcome. You’re a good girl. And that man of yours, you keep him close mind. It’s about time you listened to your mother’s advice on men.” She whispered as a train honked, making the three boys wince as the sound assaulted their ears.

“I will.” Melissa promised stepping back and Allegra turned a fond gaze onto her grandson, beckoning him close, which he did, wrapping his grandmother in a hug.

“Thanks for coming grandma, and for, well, everything.” Scott said and she rocked her grandson a little before patting his cheek fondly.

“I was glad to be here dear. And now, I finally know what really goes on in your life, which does make a nice change. I’m so very proud of you.” She said, eyes burning with pride and Scott went a little red as she stroked his cheek, then she sent Isaac, who was scuffing his shoes, a significant glance.

“You mind him, you hear me? He’s a good lad that one, a keeper.” She told him mischievously, and Scott grinned.

“Yeah I know he is.” He replied, stepping back and allowing Stiles to come close and get wrapped in a hug.

“Are you alright?” Allegra asked, and Stiles shrugged, not commenting, and she sighed.

“Mostly I suppose.” He muttered, and she took his chin.

“You have friends and people who care about you, who love you. Don’t push them away dear. And besides, I might not be your actual grandmother, but you’re as good as my grandson, so if you ever want to talk to me, you know where I am.” She whispered, and he grinned.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks nanna McCall.” He said, wrapping her in a last hug.

“You’re a good boy. And make sure this Malia girl knows that if she breaks your heart, I’ll kick her into next year, coyote or not.” She warned, and Stiles laughed, and Allegra then beckoned to Isaac, who looked shocked, but was shoved forward by Scott, and was then wrapped in a hug.

“It was lovely to meet you Isaac dear.” She said, and he smiled at her.

“Yeah it was good to meet you too.” He replied, and she cast a significant look at Scott.

“You look after my grandson now, you hear? Or else, you and me…issues.” She warned, smiling as she did so, and Isaac grinned and nodded.

“Course I will. But for the record, I think he’s more likely to look after me.” He said with a small laugh and she cast a proud look over Scott.

“Yes, I gathered that.” She said, amused as they put out a call telling them that her train was coming into the station.

“Bye grandma.” Scott said, looking slightly bummed out as Isaac wrapped his arm around his waist, and she smiled.

“Goodbye darling. I’ll get started on the bestiary as soon as I get back. Now, all of you be good, and look after one another, you hear me? I’ll call you when I get home, keep me updated. Melissa, you know what you’re to do. Stiles dear, no sex without safe sex. And as for you two, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And all of you be safe.” She said fondly, enjoying the flushes of embarrassment on all of their faces.

“You too mom. We’ll let you know as soon as anything happens.” Melissa assured her and Allegra nodded, picking up her bags as the train sounded that it was coming into the station.

“Good girl. I’m all clued in to what goes on here now, and I don’t want to be left out, I need details, remember, I need to know everything! Right, I really must dash, I love you all, be good, look after one another, and for goodness sake don’t get into anymore trouble!” she pleaded as she headed for the platform, somehow managing to half run, wave and carry her bags at the same time as she disappeared from view.

But as she left, Stiles did feel a lot better than he had. He still had things preying on his mind, but she was right about one thing. He could either fight it, or be overcome by it, and as long as he didn’t get overtaken by the Nogitsune again, he would beat it.

“I’ll miss grandma. And, I am kind of relieved that she knows about all of us.” Scott said happily, and Melissa smiled.

“Me too, means me and John can bitch to someone else when you lot come up with some other hare-brained scheme to get yourselves killed.” She said without venom, and Stiles shot her an affronted look.

“Hey, we resent that!” he protested, and Isaac shrugged, grinning.

“She also has a point though.” He admitted, and Stiles gave him a mock scowl.

“So not the point.” He said with a slight grin, and Melissa sighed, looking at her watch.

“Well, fun’s over, and mom’s gone, so I suppose I should go back to work.” She said, knowing full well what would happen as soon as the boys got back and deciding not to do anything about it.

“Cool.” Isaac gloated, and Scott sent him a confused look, clearly not grasping why he was so happy and Melissa and Stiles exchanged amused glances.

Then again, maybe not.

Still looking confused, Scott looked at his mother, a playful glint in his eye.

“Um, mom, grandma said that Isaac isn’t to move back into his room just yet, you know, because she makes such a mess!” he said brightly, and Melissa and Isaac grinned.

“Funny, she never said anything about that to me. But he can stay with you another night, but as soon as I strip the bed, you’re back in your own room buster.” Melissa chided, and Isaac nodded, smiling.

“Sure thing.” He assured her, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m wasting my breath aren’t I?” she lamented, and with a sigh, she headed out of the station, followed by her three sniggering boys while her mother headed for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness of this chapter, it was the section with Stiles and Allegra I couldnt get it the way I wanted, to tell you the truth there's still something not quite right with it, so apologies
> 
> However, next time we have our cute litttle puppy of the pack, and then we kick off the action, and just how does Derek get round heading to county?
> 
> Check out my work on Deviantart, same username as on this, not particuarly good, but little hints are entailed!


	17. Episode 3: Revenant Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Isaac make the most of Allegra's departure, the three kids plan a night out, and Agravaine begins his attack

Two-Pack II

 

The two boys entered Scott’s room, Scott kind of glad that he had convinced his mother to let Isaac sleep with him a little while longer. Isaac kissed Scott’s neck before sitting down on the bed, looking at his boyfriend, whose face was clouded with concern.

“Hey at least she got something out of him.” He wheedled, and Scott nodded, looking grimly out of the window.

It wasn’t like him and Stiles, they had always told one another everything. Stiles keeping stuff from him just wasn’t something he was used to. He knew Stiles was struggling with the aftermath of his possession, but Allegra had reported that Stiles still feared the damn thing was inside him. But the possibility of the Nogitsune still being a part of his brother didn’t bother him that much, in truth, what bothered him the most was the fact that Stiles, for some reason or other, didn’t want to confide in him, which means he didn’t want Scott knowing.

“I just don’t understand why he would keep it from me.” Scott said worriedly, and Isaac got back to his feet, wrapping his arms around Scott’s waist and planting a kiss on Scott’s cheek, nuzzling him a little.

“Scott, I know you believe in talking things out and everything, and yeah, sometimes it does help, but think about it. Stiles was possessed by the Nogitsune, and made to do stuff, to hurt people, he would never ever hurt usually. And when you add in Allison on top of that, and the fact that she came back and tormented him, he’s bound to be a bit freaked out. I know you don’t like having to wait to help people, it’s one of the things I like most about you, you’ll help anyone, but Stiles has to deal with this on his own terms first honey.” He said, stroking the back of Scott’s hand lightly.

“Do you think it really is the Nogitsune?” Scott asked nervously, and Isaac shook his head.

“I don’t think so, Chris and I made fairly sure that it was gone, we immolated the fucking thing. I know he’s going through a lot, coming to terms with what it did, and yeah, some of it could have been left behind. But I don’t think it’s the actual Nogitsune.” Isaac theorised, and Scott nodded, leaning back into Isaac’s hold a little.

“You don’t think it’s more than that though do you? I mean, with everything…” he began, and Isaac shrugged.

“It could be. But we can’t force him to talk to any of us about it, when he’s ready he will. At least we know a little bit more about what’s going on in his head. Your grandma’s good at talking to people. Probably where you get it from.” Isaac whispered and Scott grinned a little, trying and failing not to look pleased with himself.

“Thanks. And at least he does look a little happier since he talked to grandma considering he went bounding off to see Malia. So you reckon we should just give him space for now?” Scott asked, and Isaac nodded, pulling away from him as he retreated to the bed.

“For the moment, yeah. He’ll talk to us when he’s ready, we know he’s worried, but now we can keep an eye on him. We just need to be here for him when he needs us.” He assured him, lounging back on the bed.

“I suppose. I just don’t like not being able to help him.” Scott complained, and Isaac looked at him sympathetically.

“We can help him, we just need to wait a little.” He assured him, and Scott smiled slightly, nodding.

“You know, I reckon I’ll kind of miss grandma now she’s gone. I liked having her around.” He lamented, and Isaac looked at him, his eyes dancing with mischief.

“Well, there is one advantage now that she’s gone.” He purred, and Scott drooped a little.

“Was sleeping with me all the time that bad?” he asked, put out, and Isaac shook his head.

“Of course not dummy, that isn’t what I’m talking about. Don’t you remember? I promised you something a few days ago, and well, we have the place to ourselves.” Isaac said playfully, and Scott immediately perked up, looking slightly excited.

“You mean we can do fun stuff again? Well, fun stuff that involves both of us doing stuff and not just you while I…”

“Lie around doing nothing? Yeah that’s what I mean.” Isaac said cheerfully, and Scott could feel himself getting excited.

“Huh, so we can play?” Scott asked, kneeling on the bed and hanging above his boyfriend, who nuzzled him, grinning.

“Yeah, but only after you find everything.” He challenged, and Scott looked at him sceptically.

“Find everything? What do you mean?” he asked in confusion, and Isaac stroked his cheek with his thumb.

“Well, remember how I said I was getting stuff so we could do it? Well, there’s six things hidden in here that you need to find before we can do anything.” Isaac whispered huskily, and Scott looked at him in confusion.

“Six things? I mean, fair enough, I’m willing to go six times if you are, but…” he purred, and Isaac rolled his eyes.

“Well, that’s an option, but not what I meant.” He chided, grinning as he did so, and Scott looked at him, completely at sea.

“So I need to find six things?” he asked, and smiling seductively, Isaac nodded.

“Yep, six things that will let us right,” he whispered, kissing Scott softly on the lips while he traced his finger down his jawline, “a certain wrong.”

Scott’s curiosity was piqued (not the only thing that was) but he was still at sea.

“So what am I looking for?” he asked, and Isaac grinned.

“Certain things hidden around the room, and it’s something even I think I’m good at. And, as added incentive,” he purred, kissing Scott again, “every time you find something I’ll take a bit of clothing off.” He promised, and that certainly put a spark in Scott’s eyes, but then he “Wait, six things to find, how does that work?” he asked, and Isaac grinned and pulled his hoody forward to reveal a scarf.

“How do you think?” he asked brightly, and Scott laughed, obviously he’d be wearing a scarf.

“Alright, you’re on. Do I need to take my clothes off for this little scavenger hunt?” he asked, and Isaac shrugged.

“Well, you could say they might get in your way…they’re certainly getting in mine.” He quipped, and Scott grinned and took Isaac’s hand and kissed it.

“How about I take off a bit of clothing every time I need a clue?” he suggested, and the resultant purr was more than enough to see that that was a good idea.

Scott looked at himself, and considering he had five bits of clothing on, he would need to be sparing, otherwise Isaac would win and he couldn’t have that. Well, he could, but then Isaac would be doubly cocky, and entertaining though that was, well, it’s just not fair when they’re doing it on his bed.

“I gave you the first one for free.” Isaac assured him, lounging back on the bed and Scott leapt off excitedly, quite enjoying the prospect, and though he wouldn’t admit it, the mystery as well.

“Hey, does your champion get a kiss before going on his quest?” he asked hopefully and Isaac went up on his knees, moved to the edge of the bed, reached across and cupped Scott’s face with his hand, bringing him in close and then kissed him passionately, Scott moaning in the back of his throat as he felt Isaac’s tongue enter into his mouth and he gently stroked Isaac’s hair as Isaac tantalisingly pulled away from him, giving repeated small kisses as he did so before he pulled away altogether.

“There my champion, find what I’m looking for. Oh, and if you find the other one that I’ve misplaced, I’ll make it worth your while.” He said, as it was bugging him as to where he had put it, and with that little ultimatum (he loved it when Isaac made things worth his while, Scott looked around the room hopefully.

“So, something you’re good at…other than the stuff we’re doing soon.” He mused, and Isaac sniggered.

“Considering it’s you honey, soon is a bit optimistic.” He taunted, and Scott shot him a mock glare while Isaac laughed as he lounged back on the bed.

So, what was Isaac good at? Well he was good at cooking, he made a good cup of coffee, he was good at the stuff they did in bed, good at looking gorgeous, he’d become a kick ass fighter recently which made him all the hotter, he was good at humour, good at giving Scott advice, good at making Melissa happy, good at lacrosse, good at swimming, hang on, school…well history, English, art, biology, he was good at all of them (beating Scott in English to his slight annoyance) but then, well what if it was art? That would be the only thing that could make sense.

Scott frowned, wondering. Well if it was art, was one of the things he was looking for art materials? That would make sense but unless he wanted Scott to tidy his art stuff (which he had learned the hard way was a bad idea) he couldn’t see what he had in mind, but nonetheless he headed over to his desk, looking over it, smirking at the laptops both of which had a postit note on them ‘his’ on Isaac’s, ‘hers’ on Scott’s, in Malia’s writing (he sensed her boyfriend’s hand in it though) and he scanned the area. Nothing there, but seeing Isaac’s playful, coy grin, he could see that he was in kind of the right place, so he opened the top drawer, found nothing of interest other than his and Isaac’s 3DS’, so moved the next drawer down and cocked his head as he found a small tin of glow in the dark orange paint that he’d never seen Isaac use when he was painting.

“Is this one?” he asked, lost, and Isaac didn’t respond, but instead pulled off his socks and threw them into the basket in the corner, grinning and flexing his long feet, and also kind of hoping Scott would work it out.

“Yep, two more like that and three more of something else. Remember, we both probably wanted to do it to each other but didn’t because some halfwit had dumped me and we were both being dumb.” He explained, and took the tin and put it on the bedside cabinet while Scott looked completely flummoxed, not seeing at all where he was going with this.

He looked through the rest of the drawers, and found nothing, so gave the desk up as a bad job, so instead he looked up at the book shelves and to his surprise saw a fairly thin paintbrush sticking out from between two of Isaac’s comic books, and he wordlessly turned to Isaac, who smiled and took off his hoody, throwing it into the basket as well, Scott resenting that he hadn’t just taken everything off.

“Ok, a paint brush and a tin of paint, I don’t get it. Give me a clue!” Scott whined, and Isaac rolled his eyes, fingering his scarf absently.

“Well, think about what sort of paint it is, that might help you get what I’m up to.” He suggested, but that still didn’t help Scott, who nonetheless, sticking his tongue out at Isaac as he did so, pulled off his socks.

“Ok, here. So, two more brushes and two more tins?” he asked, and Isaac nodded, so Scott looked around, trying to see any new paper that he had but couldn’t, so crossed to the bedside cabinet and began rummaging in those drawers.

“Is this one?” Scott asked hopefully, finding a big paint brush and Isaac sighed in relief.

“No, but I have been looking for it, so I’ll make it worth your while later on.” He promised, putting the brush beside the others and gently stroking his hand through Scott’s hair as he kissed him on the nose, and Scott grinned, he liked it when Isaac made it worth his while.

Crouching down, he looked under the bed and saw another tin of glow in the dark paint, this time light green.

“You’re not thinking of painting my room are you?” he asked, and Isaac shook his head, rather reluctantly taking off his scarf and casting it aside, looking at it with slight loss before he turned his attention back to his amused boyfriend.

So, one more tin of paint and two more brushes were still to be found, but he was seriously wracking his brains trying to figure out Isaac’s endgame, but he couldn’t, and he really wanted to, it was driving him mad.

“Give me another clue!” he begged helplessly, and Isaac grinned.

“We were both there, and when we left, you and I weren’t talking.” He reminded him, and as always, Scott felt a little prickle of hurt when he thought of not talking to Isaac, he didn’t like not talking to Isaac.

But, true to their bargain, Scott stripped off his leather jacket, grinning a little as he heard Isaac whine a little in his throat, he knew his boyfriend liked that leather jacket, liked it on him even more. Well he also liked taking it off him but that was another matter.

“I’m still lost but ok. Hmm, if I were my devious evil boyfriend, where would I hide things?” Scott asked, heading over to the small chest of drawers beside the bathroom, and rummaged through the odds and ends of both boys living in there, including some of Isaac’s clothes (despite his best efforts, Isaac hadn’t wanted to take up any of Scott’s wardrobe space bless him), and then, in the bottom drawer, in pride of place among the many scarves (seriously, how many did he have?) was another brush, which he grinned as he found and wiggled at Isaac, who smirked in approval, and, acting reluctant, sat up and stripped off his top, exposing his pale gorgeous body to his boyfriend.

“Ooh, do I get a dry run for good behaviour?” Scott asked excitedly, walking over with the brush and gently stroking his hand down Isaac’s abs, making Isaac shudder a little in pleasure.

“Not yet. You need another clue?” he asked, kissing Scott’s fingers as he pulled them from his waistline, and Scott pouted as he sat down on the bed beside Isaac, stroking his hand over his pecs lovingly.

“Alright then.” He said, trying to act unconcerned (in this case he probably was the least concerned, he could see Isaac wanted him to lose his top).

“It was Halloween, and Derek came back.” He said lightly, and as required, Scott stripped off his top, Isaac moaning lustfully as he did, gently stroking Scott’s warm torso, but Scott kissed his fingers before getting to his feet.

Alright, so the night Derek came back from South America was Halloween, when Derek had done his nut because the twins had hijacked his loft for a blacklight party. And then the Oni had shown up…leading to Scott and Isaac not talking because Scott had been scared and had lashed out at Isaac. Huh, wait a minute, the blacklight party…the paint!

“I think I’m on to you.” Scott purred, and Isaac merely looked at him innocently as Scott crossed to his wardrobe, and after a good deal of rummaging through two boys sets of shoes, all his own tops and shirts and jackets, and the few of Isaac’s he had convinced him to put in there, he finally discovered a final paintbrush on the shelf at the top of the wardrobe, and threw it to Isaac, who obligingly pulled off his jeans and cast them away, lying there in only his boxers. Now very aware of the fact that his own jeans kind of needed to come off due to a slightly uncomfortable bulge in them, he feasted his eyes on his next to naked boyfriend, licking his lips excitedly.

“Give me another clue.” He pleaded, because boy did he need one, not because he needed a clue but to let himself move…unrestricted as it were.

“You didn’t have any on but I did.” Isaac commented, checking his fingernails, and Scott dropped his jeans down, Isaac looking at his boyfriend’s bulging boxers in excitement and Scott thought he finally had it figured out.

Three different brushes, three different sizes and stroke quality…tins of glow in the dark paint of the sort used in a blacklight party…and something he and Isaac had wanted to do to one another but because they had been apart at the time hadn’t done.

Isaac wanted him to paint him like Allison had painted him at the blacklight party. And he was right, he remembered that night, yeah sure the Oni had shown up, and both of them had been trying to forget their feelings for each other by going with Kira and Allison, but all through that night, after seeing the twins and Danny strip their shirts off, and seeing Isaac there, all he could remember was wanting to strip Isaac’s top off and paint his bare body, paint that gorgeous body, tell Isaac how much he loved him, beg him to take him back and hope that Isaac would reciprocate.

Yeah his boyfriend was good, he would give him that.

“I love the way your head works.” Scott muttered huskily, crossing over and kissing Isaac, stroking Isaac’s own bulging boxers before he went to where he figured the last tin would be, leaving Isaac moaning in pleasure and slight annoyance at being abandoned on the bed as Scott entered the bathroom, rummaging through their things, which Scott had split into his side and Isaac’s side. After searching through Isaac’s aftershave, aerosol cans, toothbrush and hair wax, Scott focused on his own side, and under his hair gel, he found the final tin of paint, this time white.

“I’m good.” Scott gloated as he leaned against the doorframe, showing Isaac the paint, and he sat up excitedly, although looked slightly nervous.

“You see what I have in mind?” he asked shyly, and Scott crossed to the bed, kneeled in front of Isaac and kissed him fiercely, forcing Isaac to lay down on the bed as he did so, his hand running across his boyfriend’s bare chest. Isaac moaned a little in his throat as he did it, then wrapped his arms around Scott’s warm body, gasping a little as Scott kissed down his neck, nuzzling Scott as he did so before Scott left off with a final kiss to one of Isaac’s erect nipples.

“Yeah, you really are a devious sort of genius aren’t you? Yeah, that did kind of suck that we never got to do each other.” He whispered, kissing Isaac’s neck as Isaac sat back up, and Isaac stroked his lover’s face tenderly.

“So you want to do it?” he asked hopefully, and Scott frowned thoughtfully.

“Hmm, do I want to paint all over my basically naked, gorgeous boyfriend? What a hard question, do I want to paint over his great body? I think there’s only one answer to such a conundrum…” he prattled, while Isaac laughed, “and it goes along the lines of hell yes.” He whispered, kissing Isaac fiercely.

“Ok, so who first?” Isaac asked excitedly, and Scott stroked his hand through Isaac’s hair.

“Hmm, well, you’re better at art, so why not you? Besides, I think I like the idea of lying around, you had me on a tiring quest.” Scott teased, and Isaac grinned, and pressed a kiss to Scott’s strong belly before hopping off the bed and going through for an old cup in the bathroom, filling it with water, and bringing in some tissues as well, lying them on the cabinet.

“Um, I thought we…” Scott protested, sounding put out, and Isaac laid a finger across his lips.

“It’s for the brushes silly, not us.” He assured him, which seemed to relax his boyfriend, who looked up at Isaac lustfully as Isaac opened the three tins and looked musingly at his boyfriend’s bare body and the paints, and choosing the middle sized brush he opted for the orange paint and got to work, Scott shuddering a little as the brush tickled him as his boyfriend started to paint him.

Scott was, surprisingly, quite a good canvas, and a little bit later, Isaac leaned back on his heels, pronouncing he was done, and Scott, now excited to paint on Isaac, went to the mirror and checked his reflection in the mirror.

He actually quite liked it. His left shoulder was painted with three coloured, spiked arcs that interlinked and went down to his elbow. His face was painted with three sort of backward s shapes, each a different colour that curved around his eye and round to the bottom of his ear, while the same pattern in reverse started at his ear and curved around the bottom of his eye, capturing his eye in the middle of the pattern.

“Huh, nice. I’m impressed.” Scott purred and Isaac grinned cockily from the bed.

“Yeah me too, and between you and me, you’re much hotter,” he whispered softly, wrapping his arms around Scott’s neck and kissing him gently, “than any other canvas I’ve seen. Or model I’ve used.” He added cockily, and Scott smirked.

“At least I trump some dumb bowl of fruit. Come on, my turn now!” he begged eagerly, and kissing Isaac again he forced him back down onto the bed, contemplating him as he considered what to paint on his boyfriend.

Scott spent a long time contemplating, however he did keep Isaac occupied by stroking his chest and abs while he did so before he finally started to paint, following a little whine in Isaac’s throat, clearly wanting attention. Grinning, Scott got to work with the paint, enjoying painting his boyfriend’s body while Isaac looked at him with that expression of total love and trust that usually melted his knees, but as usual, there was the little flicker of lust in his eyes and it was getting more pronounced the longer Scott took, and he could see that both of them were going to have to do something about that soon.

“Go see!” Scott encouraged, looking excited but also shy as to what Isaac would think of what he had painted on him.

In contrast to Isaac painting on him, Scott had painted on Isaac’s right side as opposed to his left. Despite Scott’s insistence that he wasn’t as good at art as Isaac was, he had still made a very good job. His design was three almost full circles, green, then orange, then blue, one on his chest and the other on his shoulder blade. A smaller circle of the same design was on his hand, and between the three circles, one on the chest, one on his back and the small one on his arm, Scott had painted a large green triangle, with an orange one inside it and then the blue one inside that. Smiling slightly, Isaac looked at the right hand side of his face, and unlike his approach which had favoured curved and arcs, Scott’s was more straight, with sort of half I shapes making up his pattern in various ways, other than the three coloured sideways s beneath the orange zigzag that led to his nose. There were orange zags above and below his eye, with the s beneath the bottom one. On the other side of his eyes were two green I shapes, and beside them were two blue zags, one reaching towards his ear, the other heading to his nose. He grinned as he beheld Scott sitting nervously on the bed.

“I like it. More rigid than mine, but maybe that’s an omen.” He said playfully crossing his legs in front of each other slowly as he advanced towards the bed, and Scott moaned in pleasure as he saw his boyfriend getting closer to him and he eyed his boyfriend lustfully, a sly grin on his face.

“Kind of hoping you’re rigid too. Come here.” He ordered, and as Isaac reached the bed, he kneeled up, running his hand eagerly over Isaac’s well sculpted body, Isaac moaning a little as he did and closed the distance between then, Scott kissing him gently, his tongue slowly trying to work into his mouth.

Isaac reciprocated eagerly, kissing back as he ran his fingers through Scott’s gelled hair, his other hand stroking down Scott’s well developed chest and abs as Scott kissed him fiercely, gently stroking through Isaac’s hair, his hands working down to his boxers slowly, making Isaac’s body shudder at the contact as his boyfriend progressed. Scott briefly moved away from the kiss and before Isaac could even manage a questioning look, the hand beginning to gently stroke his cock quietened all queries, and a grinning Scott kissed each of Isaac’s nipples before he forced his boyfriend back onto the bed, pulling Isaac’s boxers off with a flourish and planting a kiss on the tip of Isaac’s erect penis, Isaac giving a little gasp of pleasure as he did so.

Scott pulled back, grinning down at Isaac who looked playfully up at his boyfriend, absently stroking his finger down the design he had painted on Scott, before he ran his finger down Scott’s belly, over the well-developed muscles to his boxers, which he then hooked his finger around. Pulling himself up, he locked his lips with Scott’s, both of them kissing as Isaac pulled the boxers down his boyfriend’s legs, revealing his large erect cock as he did so. Scott laid on his back, allowing Isaac to pull his boxers off and cast them aside, his hand gently stroking up the inside of his thigh. Isaac began kissing Scott’s chest, slowly working his way up Scott’s neck before he finally reached Scott’s lips, kissing his eager boyfriend. Scott then wrapped his arms around Isaac’s neck, pulling himself into a much longer, prolonged and passionate kiss, their tongues in each other’s mouths as Scott forced himself up, and in response Isaac laid down, looking in excited anticipation at his boyfriend, his eyes shy as he looked at Scott invitingly. Scott moved closer, taking Isaac’s long neck in his hand as he kissed him, Isaac giving a little surprised gasp as Scott held his neck but Scott nuzzled him lovingly, releasing his neck and instead running his hands lovingly through Isaac’s hair as he felt Isaac’s long, perfect legs land on his shoulders. Grinning, Scott kissed Isaac, the taste of him lingering before he kissed each of Isaac’s already pert nipples, before running a finger gently down Isaac’s well-built body, tracing the paint designs on him, enjoying the ripple effect it created as Isaac writhed in pleasure. Scott then lifted his hand to Isaac’s mouth, and Isaac kissed it softly before beginning to suck his two longest fingers, Scott smiling as he watched Isaac’s eyes never leaving him as he did it before removing them from Isaac’s mouth and, with Isaac’s legs now on his shoulders, Scott gently inserted his moist fingers into Isaac’s ass, Isaac gasping in pleasure as he did so.

Working slowly, Scott wrapped his other free hand around Isaac’s penis, jerking him off a little, grinning as his boyfriend’s legs moved up and down on his shoulders in response, moaning a little as Scott worked on his ass and cock respectively. Scott purred in pleasure as he watched Isaac fix him with a pleading look, and finally, after some slow pulling on Isaac’s cock, he bent down and kissed the tip, making Isaac shudder in delight before he removed his fingers from his ass, kissing Isaac’s stomach as he did so. Scott then gently inserted his dick into Isaac’s ass, Isaac panting in relief as he did so, looking adoringly up at Scott.

“Scott…well, you know.” He mumbled, and Scott shook his head, kissing Isaac’s chest, enjoying the slightly salty taste of the sweat that was beading on it, Scott gently licking the pattern he had painted on his boyfriend.

“Hey, I told you, it’s over. I love you Isaac, more than anything. And this, this is for both of us.” He said with a roguish grin and he began to slowly thrust into Isaac’s ass.

Isaac gave a shuddering gasp as Scott began to thrust into him, his boyfriend’s ample penis reaching up to his prostate, and making Isaac’s eyes roll in ecstasy as Scott thrusted into him. Isaac then leaned up a little, meeting Scott half way as they kissed, Isaac using a free hand to run his fingers through Scott’s hair before sliding them down his back as Scott thrusted into him, Isaac tilting his head back in enjoyment as he did so. His hand stroked down Scott’s body, laying on Scott’s well developed abs as Scott thrusted into him, Scott grinning cockily as he started to jerk Isaac off a little. Isaac moaned in pleasure as he leaned up, his hand around Scott’s balls, stroking them gently as the two kissed, Isaac kissing Scott ever more hungrily as Scott moved faster, forcing an ecstatic Isaac to lean backwards, his heels once more in the air and digging into Scott’s back as Scott got close.

“Scott…” Isaac begged, Scott’s hand jerking him off expertly, not that he needed it, Scott was more than up to the task without any such aids, and Scott purred in his throat as he beheld his gorgeous boyfriend, his Isaac, knowing that he was completely his.

Scott was pounding hard now, Isaac moaning in pleasure as Scott laid into him, whining in the back of his throat which Scott took as a desire for more contact with Scott so he bent down, kissing Isaac with fiery passion, his boyfriend moaning eagerly in response, his hands wrapped in Scott’s hair, their glimmering bodies writhing as Scott thrust into his boyfriend, Isaac’s own cock close to exploding as the two young lovers kissed passionately, their bodies writhing in sync with one another, sweat glimmering on their bodies, their hands running all over each other’s bodies, running roughly through each other’s hair, both of them moaning in pleasure as both boys got close.

Isaac panted in delight, about to come from Scott and his own combined efforts, just as Scott was, and Isaac gave Scott a fierce, loving, intense kiss before he leaned back, his head tilting back in pleasure as Scott’s eyes glowed red and his cock exploded into Isaac’s ass, flooding him with warm fluid as Isaac exhaled in delight, his eyes glowing gold, his body writhing one final time as he too exploded, leaving him panting weakly on the bed, Scott hanging tiredly above him, grinning before bending down and doing his own little bit to help clean Isaac up, Isaac purring weakly as he did so. After he did so, he nuzzled Isaac gently, and as always, elicited a little whine of displeasure from Isaac as he pulled from his ass, leaving his exhausted boyfriend lying weakly on the bed, sweat shimmering on his body as Scott moved to the bathroom, Isaac moaning in his throat for Scott to come back, which he did, wipes in hand which he then proceeded to wipe Isaac down with, enjoying rubbing the cool wipes over his boyfriend’s hot (in both senses of the word) body. After he finished he was rewarded for his actions with a soft kiss, Isaac nuzzling him and kissing him softly, pressing many little kisses to his face as he cuddled up to Scott. Scott then took Isaac’s face in his hand and kissed Isaac gently, leaning his forehead against Isaac’s as he did so and then leaned back into the pillows, wrapping his arm around Isaac’s waist and resting it on his stomach which he gently started stroking while he leaned his head on the arm he had behind his head. Isaac kissed Scott’s chest and his nipple, then kissed his neck and jaw as he rested his head in the crook of Scott’s arm, completely relaxed and at ease, the hand that wasn’t tucked under Scott’s warm body absently stroking Scott’s chest, his finger tracing the paint on Scott’s body.

“God I missed that.” Scott whispered, kissing Isaac’s forehead tenderly, and Isaac smiled, nodding, his blond hair tickling Scott’s skin.

“Yeah, me too. Thank you, for not letting me give up on us.” He purred, and Scott sniggered.

“Think that was more self-interest but forget it ok? He’s gone. You’re mine, no one else’s. You’re safe beautiful. And besides…I’ll never let you forgive up on us, if only for my own,” he said with a slight smile, kissing Isaac’s head, “evil,” he continued, kissing his forehead, “ends.” He finished, kissing Isaac softly as he raised his lips to meet Scott’s.

“Good. I won’t let you give up on us either, regardless of what anyone says. I love you.” He purred, cuddling in a little closer to Scott as his hand stroked his body gently.

“I love you too.” Scott whispered huskily, gently stroking Isaac’s hair as both young lovers fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms just like before.

 

XX

 

The ringing of the phone disturbed their contended sleep far earlier than either of them would have liked. Grunting in annoyance, Scott tried to ignore the noise by burying his head closer to Isaac, making a moaning noise when he noticed his boyfriend was sleepily reaching for the phone.

“Leave it alone, we’re asleep.” Scott complained, trying to pull Isaac’s arm back as his boyfriend got his hands on the offending piece of technology.

“No, you answer it and talk to him and I can cuddle you and go back to sleep like I ought to be.” Isaac ordered, passing him the phone and Scott sent his boyfriend an annoyed look.

“How do you know they want to talk to me?” he asked without even looking to see who it was.

“Because he hero worships you that’s why. Now answer and shut the phone up.” Isaac ordered before snuggling back into Scott’s chest while Scott scowled at the phone in his hand before answering it.

“Alright, alright, who’s the wise guy phoning me?” he demanded, figuring it might be a bit of a giveaway if he asked who was phoning and waking them up.

“Hi Scott!” came Liam’s cheery voice and despite his annoyance at being woken up he did feel a large smile coming onto his face upon hearing the voice of his eager vice-captain.

“Hey buddy, what’s up?” he asked, absently running his hands through a sleepy Isaac’s hair as his boyfriend curled back into him.

“Well, Mason, Garrett and I were thinking of heading to Lunar tonight, you know, since it’s Saturday and Mason and I think it’ll be good for taking Garrett’s mind off of what happened at the school yesterday with that kid committing suicide, he’s been weird since it happened and we thought it might cheer him up. Do you guys want to come? You can ask all the others, like Stiles, the twins, oh and Kira too, if you want.” He suggested, and due to his wolf hearing Isaac could hear the call and could practically see the blush that was now appearing on Liam’s cheeks.

Scott however, was more oblivious, as was to be expected, and totally missed Isaac’s grin.

He looked at Isaac lying beside him, cuddled up to him and he couldn’t imagine that going to Lunar, a good nightclub though it was, could be any better than staying in bed all night with Isaac, keeping each other warm and going for a repeat performance…or two…or three.

“Look Liam, I appreciate the offer…” Scott began but to his surprise Isaac laid a finger on his lips and propped himself up on his elbows, shaking his head.

“No, I think it’s a good idea. After the week we’ve had, with the revenants, we could all use something to take our mind off of it all. After all, not all of us have a gorgeous Alpha boyfriend to sleep with every night, who’ll protect us and make us feel better.” He whispered, and Scott turned his attention back to the phone.

“Hang on buddy.” He ordered Liam, who made a noise of confusion before Scott blocked the microphone part and looked at Isaac, unimpressed.

“But honey, if we go, it means we both need to go in the shower, we both kind of stink of sex, we can’t go to the club covered in paint, and I would much rather spend the night curled up with you.” He insisted, rubbing his nose against Isaac’s, and Isaac smiled.

“Yeah, I would too. But we do need to be social, and we could all do with a break from all the supernatural crap we’ve had this week. And besides, that little kid won’t be nearly as happy as he could be if you don’t go, he really likes you. You’re like his hero, so give the little guy something else to look forward to.” He told him, kissing his cheek, and Scott sighed, rolling his eyes in amusement.

“Ok fine, we can go. I still don’t like having to go out though.” He pouted, and Isaac kissed his neck lovingly, stroking his cheek.

“Well, think about it, it means we need to shower, and with your mom out…there’s nothing to stop us showering together.” He suggested, and that immediately perked Scott up.

“Um, when should we meet you?” Scott asked, actually having no clue what time it was, since it had been getting dark when he and Isaac had started and now it was totally dark.

“Nine, Garrett gets a late pass from the orphanage on a Saturday night. So, see you in a couple of hours!” Liam said brightly before the line went dead, and Scott looked at Isaac in surprise.

“Wait, we were asleep for three hours?” he asked in shock, and Isaac nodded, looking pleased.

“So we were. Now, do you want to play before the shower, or would you rather just play in the shower?” he asked alluringly, and Scott grinned, getting up and kissing Isaac, running his hand down his cheek as they resumed festivities.

 

XX

 

“Huh, it sounded like Scott had just woken up, how weird.” Liam said, staring at his phone and sounding confused.

Mason swore as Garrett shot him on Call of Duty, and told Garrett he was something that he wouldn’t dare repeat in front of his mother (Garrett only laughed) and he turned back and looked at him.

“What, he was asleep at this time of day? Lazy git.” He said, respawning and trying to figure out how to get Garrett back for killing him.

“Definitely sounded like it. Um, Mason, you’re getting hammered here.” Liam told his friend in amusement, eliciting a growl from Mason as he chased after Garrett who was in the next building (being familiar with Garrett’s tactics, he knew full well that Mason was about to die again).

As predicted, Mason died a second later, making him sigh in frustration, passing the controller to Liam in annoyance while Garrett snickered.

“So they coming tonight?” Mason asked, and Liam nodded, easily sniping Garrett from his position, resulting in Garrett looking around in confusion as if to see who had done that to him.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be good, the entire team going out and relaxing, especially after everything.” He said nervously, looking worriedly at Garrett and Garrett sighed, looking earnestly at Liam.

“I told you dude I’m fine, it was just a shock that’s all.” He assured him but could see that Liam wasn’t entirely convinced, but he figured that it was better just to let his friend worry about him because he was going to do it regardless of what he said.

“Well all of us can go out and relax tonight, celebrate surviving the first week of school. Well, a new school for me.” Liam pointed out, cursing as Garrett blew his head off, sniggering as he did so.

“Please, as if you want to celebrate the end of your first week.” Mason taunted in amusement, shoving at Liam playfully and Liam looked at him, perturbed.

“Well obviously, it’s a new school even if you two are here!” he protested, and Garrett grinned.

“I don’t think that’s what he’s talking about buddy, I think he’s referring to your little man crush on Scott, oh, and your actual crush on Kira!” he said brightly, shooting Liam again making his friend grumble under his breath.

“I don’t have a man crush on Scott.” He snarked back, and Mason grinned at a smug Garrett.

“Notice how he doesn’t deny his actual crush on Kira?” he quipped and Liam glowered at him while Garrett nudged him with his shoulder playfully.

“I don’t have a crush on Kira.” He said, going slightly red, and Garrett smiled.

“Really, then why you going red?” he teased and Liam swatted at him, the other two laughing as he stewed in impotence.

“Am not! And anyway, don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking out Lydia.” He protested and Garrett shrugged.

“Hey, it’s the nature of the beast, she’s hot. But...considering how she treated Aiden, I don’t much fancy being on her receiving end myself.” He admitted, looking vaguely bothered, and Liam looked at him in slight surprise.

“Not like you, you usually swoop in doing something suitably heroic after a break up.” He said, and Garrett grinned.

“Aww, I didn’t know you had such a high opinion of me Liam, thank you.” He said, grinning, and Liam smirked.

“You didn’t let me finish. After you swoop in all heroic you do the exact same thing the guy did in the first place and put the girl back to the beginning.” He quipped, and Garrett shot him a dirty look while Mason laughed.

“So, it is everyone?” Mason asked as Garrett blew Liam up to get revenge for getting the better of him.

“Yeah, I think so, I think he was talking with Isaac so probably.” Liam reasoned, and Mason grinned.

“Good. I mean, I do kind of get your man crush on Scott, he is cute.” He chirped, lying on his front on the bed and poking the other two to distract them from their game, and Liam scowled, but also looked slightly red.

“I do not have a man crush! Or a real crush on Kira, yeah, I really like Scott, he’s a nice guy and he’s cool, but I don’t have a crush on him, man or otherwise! And Kira…yeah, she’s really nice, and sweet, and pretty, and funny, and dorky in that kind of cute way…but I don’t fancy her!” he protested, convincing neither of them.

“Yeah, you’re completely uninterested in her.” Garrett whispered sarcastically while Mason sniggered behind them.

“Well I am. Kinda.” He muttered under his breath as Garrett turned back to look at Mason in confusion.

“Wait, hang on, you think Scott is cute, I thought it was Stiles you liked?” he asked, perplexed and Mason grinned.

“Well just because I do kind of like Stiles doesn’t mean I won’t notice that Scott’s cute. It’s a moot point anyway, Stiles might be bi but I’ve got no chance against Malia.” He pointed out, and Liam nodded grimly.

“Yeah that’s true, she’d kick your ass.” He mused, and Mason shrugged.

“Hey, I’m a lover, not a fighter. That’s why we keep Garrett around!” he said brightly and Garrett shot him an offended glance, smiling a little as he did it.

“I feel so used! Besides, you have even less chance with Scott dude, Isaac would rip you up.” He told him, and Mason nodded, looking vaguely unsettled by the thought of Isaac going after him.

“I heard Scott talking about Isaac using knives…and besides, he’s bigger than me.” He lamented while the other two sniggered.

“Well, he’s asleep, now’s your chance, get rid of him and have your wicked way with Scott.” Liam encouraged, and Mason whacked his head.

“No, besides, you’d get jealous.” He retorted, and Garrett looked at Liam curiously.

“Wait, they were both asleep?” he asked, and Liam nodded.

“Yeah why?” he asked, and Garrett fixed him with an almost pitying look.

“Aww Liam, so sweet and naïve.” He told him, patting his hand sympathetically, and Liam looked between him and Mason, whose eyes had widened in realisation, in confusion.

“What, what is it?” he asked, and Mason grinned.

“You wanted to know why Scott sounded like he just woke up. You did the big no no buddy, you disturbed them…post-partum.” He said with a wicked grin, and Liam looked completely lost.

“I literally have no idea what you two are talking about.” He said in annoyance, and Garrett cocked his head sympathetically.

“Liam, Scott and Isaac, who are boyfriends, in bed, together, asleep, in the middle of the afternoon? I know you’re innocent, but come on, even you aren’t that innocent!” he exclaimed, and Liam went red as the penny finally dropped.

“Wait, I woke them up after that! Oh Scott will hate me, his grandma was here all week, this was the first time, oh god, I feel so bad!” he moaned as the other two laughed, and Garrett, while laughing, patted his friend’s shoulder.

“Hey look on the bright side dude, he’ll just get you back when you get with Kira. Mind you by that time dementia will have set in because we’ll all be so old, all because you won’t listen to my sage advice.” He goaded, grinning cockily, and Liam finally cracked and jumped on Garrett, poking him hard, Garrett laughing as the slightly smaller boy attacked him, Liam goading him and grinning as he pinned Garrett and poked his fingers into his ribs while Mason laughed at the two of them and watched in amusement.

 

XX

 

The truck was being kept at the gates, waiting for the guard to let them through.

“I keep telling you, until I hear that you are meant to be here I can’t let you in, this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had people on the outside trying to help people escape the prison. So you’ll stay right where you are until I’m satisfied.” The guard, dressed in the prison version of a police uniform, grumbled, fingering his truncheon as he glared into the cabin of the delivery truck.

The man driving was a well-built man, strong, tall and sturdy, though not as tall as his companion. The driver had short, dirty looking brown hair, his face was marked by stubble and there was a scar on his left eyebrow. Smart, clever black looking eyes bored outwards from his face. He was clad in a black jacket which left little of his bulging muscles to the imagination.

The man beside him however was much taller, and even better built, rather like a tree. Taller, his eyes were much paler, a very faint blue however they didn’t give the impression of weakness of any sort, far from it, they have the impression of strength, which the scar over one of his eyes which glistened in the moonlight, only added to the illusion of. His brown hair was cut in a scrub cut, and unlike his companion, he was wearing a bulletproof vest over a normal vest, leaving his bulging arms, complete with Celtic tattoos, open to the air, his fingers and knuckles all scarred and damaged. His teeth had a slight point to them, and unlike his friend, who did have a distinctly unwashed odour about him, he smelled more of…death.

And the guard, though he wasn’t going to admit it even to himself, was less than inclined to let these two rough looking men into the prison complex, even if it was just to make a delivery. And what the hell was taking the powers that were so long to answer his query?

“Look mate,” the taller of the two said, his voice having a distinctly guttural British accent, “we do have other places to be. He’s got a wife you know, and well, I like a night-time stroll, which you’re cutting in to, so let us in and we can both be out of your hair.” He demanded, and the prison guard looked at him suspiciously, pondering just what this man did on his late night strolls, privately figuring it was nothing good.

And there was still no response from upstairs, and he was beginning to get seriously concerned.

“Give me a sec,” he asked, using his radio to call up again, but to his surprise, there was only white noise on the end, no response of any kind, and after waving it around a little, he still had no response to his dismay.

“There a problem fella?” the smaller one asked, and the guard shook his head, looking at his radio as if it had betrayed him somehow.

“Yes, my radio’s down, hang on I’ll just go and call them with the phone in the booth.” He told them, and to his surprise, the taller of the men left the cabin and stood before him, his full height rather imposing, and the guard suddenly had a flash of understanding: these men weren’t here to make a delivery.

“That means the kid did his job. Thanks very much.” He purred, taking the radio from the guard and with a single movement, he crushed it into pieces with just the power of his fist, his eyes glowing pure white as he did so.

“What the hell?” the guard yelped, moving for his gun and truncheon, but the bigger man, whose arms were covered with numerous scars that looked like scratches from an animal but were burned on, deftly slashed across the man’s wrist, dropping his gun to the floor before he gave the frightened guard a sadistic smile, grabbed the truncheon from him, and seized the man by the head, forcing open his jaw with his incredible strength, the guard struggling in his grip, trying to break free as the hulking brute forced his mouth open, and then he gave a final gurgling scream as the man forced the stick of the truncheon down his throat, the man giving a few choking noises before his body collapsed to the floor, the truncheon sticking out of his mouth, blood trickling onto the ground from his forced open jaw.

“Bit harsh Thane.” The man chided in amusement from the cabin as Thane spat on the guard’s body in disrespect.

“Well he shouldn’t have kept us waiting for so long should he Eoghan? Now, let’s go, we have work to do.” He said, and simply lifted the barrier that was blocking the truck’s way out the road, standing on the dead guard’s body as he entered the truck again, Eoghan chuckling darkly as he drove the truck into the prison grounds.

Eoghan drove the truck leisurely into the prison grounds, the prisoners all locked up safely inside and no one was any the wiser as to the death of the guard at the entrance.

“Bonnie still doesn’t like this plan.” Eoghan remarked, and Thane scoffed.

“You surprise me, Bonnie not liking one of our plans. Does she ever?” he asked, and to his surprise, Eoghan looked a little nervous himself.

“I mean…yeah fair enough everyone in our world knows that the Callavera clan are pathetic and useless and most of them are as thick as shit. But still, it does pose a risk, after all, hunters killed our daughter, you can hardly blame us for being a little worried.” Eoghan complained, and Thane nodded quietly, not saying anything until he carefully measured out his words in his head.

“You made the hunters pay mate. And if the hunters in there give us any trouble, then we can make them pay too. Where are the kids?” he demanded, as the two youngest members of the pack were meant to be here to show them where to park the truck.

“There they are, relax.” Eoghan chided, pointing to where two glowing pairs of shining red eyes were lurking against the wall.

As the truck approached, Thane nodded to the two boys. Malakai was dressed as usual, his eyes alight with malice as he watched the others approach. Rhyley was more subdued, and looked less enthused to be here than his brother did, which was to be expected. While Rhyley would fight when he needed to, he was much less aggressive than his older brother but still perfectly vicious when he wanted to be. Just as tall as his brother, though not as muscly, he was dressed in a simple black vneck tshirt, frayed jeans and he was wearing a sleeveless zip up tracksuit, also black and was fiddling with his messy quiffed brown hair, clearly bored waiting for them as Eoghan reversed the truck towards the wall.

“What took you guys so long?” Malakai demanded in frustration as Thane and Eoghan climbed out of the truck.

“We needed to find out if your brat brother’s little party piece worked.” Thane informed him, and Rhyley sent him a mock glare.

“Course it did, have I ever let us down before? All their radios are jammed, and the generator is in a small airshaft, they won’t find it in time even if they did know it was there.” He promised, and Eoghan stretched, saliva beginning to fill his mouth, the promise of a slaughter to come.

“Well, is everything ready?” he asked in excitement as the back door to the truck opened, allowing his wife and Bonnie to leap out, both of them with cans of petrol in hand, creating a line from the back of the truck.

“Yes love, very nearly.” Ciara responded, her accent Irish like her husband’s, her eyes flicking to the prison wall as she left the fuel can at the bottom of the wall as she crossed to her husband and kissed him in greeting.

Smaller than her husband, she looked quite small and petite but that belied her true form, and even her human form was much more dangerous than many would give her credit for. Her face was pale and willowy, with kind brown eyes, but somehow, the kindness in them didn’t seem entirely genuine, it was like there was something that was off about her. She had long light brown hair that descended in half curls to her shoulders, with tramlines cut into the sides of her head which made her look slightly different. Like the others, she too seemed to be slightly dirty, but her dirtiness gave her an aura that the others despite their own intimidating appearance, all lacked.

“So what are we waiting for?” Thane asked eagerly, his bloodlust kicking in, and an amused voice then echoed from the back of the truck.

“Merely for me to be ready old friend.” Agravaine’s soft voice lilted from within as he elegantly stepped out of the back of the truck, his pack following him as he strolled away from the truck, breathing in the night air, savouring the smell, his glowing sickly yellow eyes returning to normal as he joined them, savouring the smell of impending victory.

After all, this was where it all began.

“For the record, I don’t like this, we could at least take out some of them, make them more manageable.” Bonnie complained, and the others all smiled in amusement, she always insisted that they minimise the risk, and they almost never agreed with her, though Malakai did on occasion to try and protect Rhyley.

“Relax dear, it’s all part of the plan, after all, we’re fairly low down on the food chain, certainly lower than the True Alpha and the pack they blame for their incarceration and the deaths of Araya and her most effective minions. Shall we chaps?” he asked pleasantly, and Thane, Rhyley, Malakai and Eoghan joined him in leaning against the truck, physically backing it up to the wall and leaving no space between the wall and the truck.

The truck which just happened to be filled with explosives.

“Shall we?” Agravaine asked, his eyes alight with malice as he swept away from the truck.

The corruption of the nemeton was already bearing fruit, his power was already increasing. The True Alpha was here, and what was more, he could tell that Hollis was here as well. Everything was in place, and now, it was time to make his first move, to ensure his legacy and to end this once and for all.

He swept away from the truck, his pack on his heels, all of them tense with anticipation as they got to a safe distance, and once he was confident that there were safely away, he twirled around, his black trench coat swirling as he did so, his entire pack poised behind him as they looked at the truck that they had brought into the grounds.

“Let the end…begin.” Agravaine whispered and a small plume of flame burst into existence on his right hand index finger, the black, gnarled claw growing into place as he did so.

Thane looked intently at Agravaine, at the mottled, noxious looking yellow, black and grey flame he had above his claw, and with a thrill, he pointed it at the stream of fuel the girls had poured away from the truck. And with a final, swift smile, Agravaine fired the plume of flame from his finger.

The poisoned looking flame streaked across the deserted courtyard, landing right in the main puddle of fuel that Bonnie had left. The poisonous flame ignited it at once, grey smoke choking the air as the noxious yellow, green and orange flame blazed around the fuel trail, encompassing the truck, and the flame then vanished from sight.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, just the smell of acrid smoke, akin to burning plastic, filling their nostrils. And then…

The truck exploded in a massive fiery explosion.

The vehicle was blasted apart with enough force to knock the pack all staggering backwards, the ground shaking as it happened, violent cracks shattering the ground beneath where the truck had been. Alarms started blaring all across the prison complex as fire and smoke belched into the air, rubble cascading from the shattered wall, and even better, no one within would be able to talk to anyone else.

“Well I think that got their attention wouldn’t you say?” Bonnie asked with a grim smile, and Agravaine gave her an indulgent smile as alarms blared and cries of pain, horror and anger started to reach his ears.

“I would say so. Shall we begin?” he asked in his lilting voice as with that, the pack swept onwards, smoke and flame spiralling around them as the prison came under attack and went into full lockdown, determined to prevent the one thing Agravaine wanted to bring about: the escape of the prisoners.

“Poor little Alpha pup is going to have a fight on his hands!” Eoghan scoffed with delighted malice as some prisoners, dressed in prison orange, who had been out of their cells when the blast had gone off for whatever reason, all made a dash for it.

“And that my friend is exactly the point.” Agravaine assured him as they crossed over a large pile of dislodged rubble and steel, the pack sweeping towards the main entrance of the prison for the next stage of the plan.

Damaged vehicles were parked outside, alarms blaring from the explosion or from the falling damage.

“The fuzz will be here soon.” Thane warned, and Agravaine smiled darkly.

“By that time they will be far too late. Ah, the cavalry.” He purred, his eyes narrowed dangerously as a group of frantic guards ran towards them, all armed with much heavier weaponry than they would usually have.

“Wait, who the hell are you guys?” one bold young man shouted, and Agravaine chuckled maliciously.

“My dear boy…we are the ones responsible for this little jailbreak. Malakai, Rhyley…sic them!” he barked, and both boys gave a savage bark and sprang at the horrified guards before they could even bring their guns to bear, Malakai’s razor sharp teeth and claws ripping out three throats within seconds, and Rhyley was just as savage, snapping three necks and dropping their lifeless husks to the floor.

“So the armoury will be over…ah!” Agravaine exclaimed as bullets started to fly towards them as two more guards emerged from the armoury shed, separated from the prison by distance, a fence, a wall, barbed wire and security doors, but none of them were any match for one such as he.

“Should I?” Thane snarled, his eyes glowing their ominous white, but Agravaine shook his head, twisting his hand elegantly and creating a lethal, swirling orb of fire in his hand which he then threw towards the shed. The two guards screamed in terror as the fireball blazed past them, immolating them in the process, their screams puncturing the night air as the fireball crashed into the armoury and seconds later the building was blasted apart from within.

Someone inside had begun to realise the truth, that despite the jailbreak, there was another threat. The prison was under attack. Calls were being sent everywhere, but for the moment, most of the prisoners were in their cells where they belonged, but that was all about to change.

Guards were running panicked within the prison as the Ghost Pack advanced on the door.

“What the hell are those things?” one man demanded as Mikaela tried to reach Kyle desperately, if she was about to die, she wanted to at least talk to him one more time before she did.

“Barricade the door! And where the hell are our radio signals?” the warden demanded anxiously, his heart hammering in fear, the prison had been blown open, some prisoners had definitely already escaped, someone or something was attacking outside and from the sounds of things, there was a riot going on as the blast had knocked out power to at least some of the cells.

As shouts and vicious chants made their way up the halls to the entrance way, Mikaela was frantic, she had put out every call she could but with the radios down she didn’t even know if the call had gone through, if Kyle had even heard her.

“Oh fuck me those lunatics are coming this way!” one man said and she looked up from her desk in terror as she saw the group that was outside advancing with slow, deadly purpose towards the door.

“Well shoot them! They can’t get through!” the warden yelled, then yelped as one of his guards crashed into the bars behind him, blood streaming from his neck.

“Half cell block is out…” he garbled before he dropped to the floor, blood coating the bars.

Half a cell block’s prisoners had escaped, and they would either be making a run for it, or coming here for revenge against their captors. The shouts of the prisoners were getting closer, leaving the warden in no uncertain terms about where the prisoners were heading, they were coming for all of them in this room.

“See, they know they can’t get in without getting killed, so forget them and let’s get the prisoners back under control!” one man at the door said, but his companion looked outside to see the smirking Ghost Pack and suddenly a chill went down his spine.

“One’s missing, is there any other way for him to get in?” he demanded hysterically, but then everyone in the room’s eyes were drawn to the door which suddenly had two glowing red eyes in the middle of it which a second later materialised into one of the young men who was outside.

“Why bother when I can get in through the front door?” he questioned, a sadistic smile on his face as claws grew from his hands and lethal carnassials grew in his mouth.

“That’s impossible, he moved through a solid door!” the one closest to Malakai protested, and the young dog snickered in amusement.

“I can pass through solid flesh too, see?” he asked and Mikaela found herself screaming as she watched the young man rip the heart out of the guard who had challenged him, sending blood spurting into the air as the brute threw it aside, and with a simpering laugh, he opened the door, revealing the rest of the pack.

“Ah victory.” Agravaine gloated as the room looked at him, transfixed in terror.

And with a vicious bark, the pack jumped as one.

Claws ripped throats open and hearts out as the two brothers cut into the cluster of terrified guards, their claws and teeth ripping as they went, the guards screaming for mercy, screaming in terror. The husband and wife were less messy, shattering necks and breaking spines as they savaged their way through the room, gunfire surrounding them as the rapidly dwindling guards tried to save themselves. The older woman tackled those who were shooting at the pack, sending guns flying everywhere and allowing the taller one with the glowing white eyes to shatter skulls with his colossal hands, or in some cases, twist heads right off of bodies, cries of shock, horror, despair and nausea filling the air as he progressed.

“What the hell are you people?” the warden demanded hysterically as he fired as many bullets as he could at Agravaine, who merely smiled as the panicked shots went wide.

“The new regime. You’re looking a little hot under the collar warden.” He quipped, before igniting the screaming warden with a blast of flame from his finger.

The man didn’t stand a chance, his entire uniform going up in smoke in seconds, his panicked screams giving way to those of pain before his charred body fell smoking to the floor.

Mikaela shook in fright, in terror as her friends blood trickled down her face and clothes, and pooled across the floor. These monsters had just slaughtered everyone in the room in less time than it had taken to say it and now she was the only one left, she was the only one of her massacred colleagues left in the room.

The group then spotted her, and the apparent leader with the black curly hair allowed himself a small gloating smile and stood in a pool of blood, leaving bloody footprints on the floor as his companions emulated him, surrounding her computer desk on all sides, leaving Mikaela looking up at him in terror as he towered above her, the tall hulking one behind him like a bodyguard.

“Hello dear lady. How about you stand up? Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you, and neither will the prisoners.” Agravaine assured her, and glaring at him, she got to her feet, her eyes smouldering in fury.

“You’re monsters!” she spat, and Agravaine nodded.

“Yes, we are. Now, be a good girl, and open all the cells for me please.” He asked, and she looked at him incredulously, fully aware that she was surrounded by his entire gang but she didn’t care, all she cared about was denying him what he wanted.

“Never! Is this why you did all this, just to organise a jailbreak? You’ve started a riot, slaughtered the guards, all for a jailbreak!” she raged and Agravaine chuckled.

“You say that as if this is the end game. No child, this is only the beginning, I have much bigger plans than this place. Now, the doors if you please.” He demanded his voice still polite but the expression in his yellowing eyes was anything but.

Mikaela looked around, and saw that there was no way out of this. She was surrounded by murderous killers, there was a prisoner riot in the prison itself, prisoners were escaping, the communications were down, a blast had crippled the facility, monsters existed, and she was surrounded by her dead friends and colleagues.

“You can go and fuck yourself you sick freak.” She hissed, and defiantly locked the computer she had been at before the entire place went to hell.

Agravaine sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a small smile.

“I appreciate your bravery my dear. Surrounded by monsters, facing overwhelming odds, your friends dead around you, covered in their blood, prisoners out for your head simply because of your occupation…and you still manage to make one last defiant stand. You have my respect. Sadly however, that is not enough to save you. And what is more…unlike so many of my contemporaries, I learned many years ago that when you kill someone…” he began and she let out the start of a scream before he clamped his hand over her mouth, and with a final twist shattered her neck, allowing her body to fall backwards over her curved desk and sprawl across it, her sightless eyes staring up at Eoghan, “you make sure they can’t come back.” He finished, and beckoned Rhyley forward who shot a slightly distasteful look at the dead body beside him who had occupied the chair minutes before and he moved through the solid desk and sat down, getting to work.

“Can you do it?” Bonnie asked, her voice quiet, and he nodded.

“Yep, especially since her login information was lying out. You were right, attacking just after shift change was ideal. Shouldn’t take me long.” The youngest member of the pack assured their leader, and Agravaine nodded.

“Good. Thane and Eoghan shall make sure you are undisturbed by the rapidly approaching prisoners. And the rest of us, we’ll go into the woods. We have a guest to prepare for.” He said in dark excitement and swept from the scene of the massacre, the rest of the pack following him as they headed into the woods to await the real reason they were doing all this: to await the arrival of the True Alpha.

Sending a text, Agravaine breathed in the cool night air, the wind tugging at his hair, and alerting him to the approach of many sirens from all directions, all heading here to the prison. Rhyley would need to hurry. For the police’s sake.

With a final smirk at the ruined, rioting and burning prison, he followed the rest of the pack into the woods to await the arrival of the Alpha pup he was so keen to meet.

 

XX

 

Peter looked at the text from Agravaine. The Ghost Pack had begun their attack, and now the prison was in flames. He briefly mused on what a prison break might do for Derek, but decided that it didn’t matter either way. Their plan was afoot, and nothing could stop them now. And soon, Peter would have Scott right where he wanted him.

After all…he was always the Alpha.

Picking up his jacket and donning it with a flourish, he strolled triumphantly from the apartment to get into position because the boy would be there soon…and when he was, Peter’s fangs would close around the boy’s throat and end the little whelp once and for all.

 

XX

 

“Well isn’t that interesting?” she asked herself as the prison burned below her as she stood on a hill overlooking the building

One of her Berserkers turned to her, the weird, chittering, clunking noises it made asking a question, and she smiled in a predatory fashion.

“Yes. I spent too much time framing Derek just to let him escape. Let’s play it by ear and have a little fun shall we?” she asked, and the Berserker bowed his head as the clouds shifted and the moon shone down onto the hilltop.

She had spent too much time making sure Derek was out the way to go back now. And besides, he was only a secondary concern. If there was a prison break, there was every chance that Scott would turn up to try to help, and he was far too important to her plans to allow harm to come to the boy.

After all, he was the key to everything.

Stepping out from the trees, the moon shining down on her, Kate Argent hissed with malice, her eyes glowing green, her face furred with the markings of a jaguar, flanked on either side by her six monstrous Berserkers, looking down on the prison as it burned.

One thing was clear.

The war had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, while Scott and Isaac are getting raunchy and playing around, Agravaine has upped his game and has begun his attack. What exactly does he have planned, and more importantly, what the hell is he, and what are the rest of his pack?
> 
> And Peter and Kate are in town scheming away as always, what is Kate's angle though and how do the Berserkers fit into it all?
> 
> Theme music for our three villains: for Agravaine, the Kraken from Dead Man's Chest, for Peter, Barbossa is Hungry from Curse of the Black Pearl and for Kate Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones
> 
> Well next time we have pure action, and a showdown is on the way as well, along with a surprise that if I did it right no one saw coming
> 
> Oh, the paint designs the boys did are on my deviantart page under lordtrayus, take a look, and also please vote in my poll in fanfiction.net!
> 
> Until next time!


	18. Episode 3: Revenant Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agravaine's prison break intensifies, a dangerous individual escapes prison, Scott wrestles with morality and Agravaine closes in on the pack

Two-Pack II

 

The police station was a hive of activity as the frantic police officers suited up with as many weapons as they could find, donned body armour and riot gear and headed out into the cars, sirens blaring to life as the various police officers headed to the now rioting prison.

“Seriously, a prison break?” John demanded angrily as he tightened the straps on his own body armour while Parrish, his face clouded, saw to their weapons.

“Tell me about it, look on the bright side, not your fault, they can’t start another competency proceeding just because some idiot blew the place open.” He assured him, checking his own armour, and with the sheriff in tow they headed out to their car, nodding at Elba who was to remain in the station as they did so.

“Do we know how bad it is yet?” John asked climbing into the driver seat as Parrish got in the other side, the younger man looking very concerned.

“Well there’s several dead bodies outside from what the choppers can see, and a lot of people in that glamorous colour of prison orange making a run for it into the woods.” He informed him as the radio buzzed with all sorts of reports, none of which were good.

“Jesus, we’re going to be recapturing prisoners for months…and the entire Callavera clan will be out and looking for blood now too which is just what we need, we just got rid of them all and now they’ll be back as well.” He grumbled, blaring the car around the corner as Parrish looked at him hesitantly.

“There might be one advantage to this…Derek can’t go to county if he isn’t there.” He suggested, squirming guiltily and John looked at him in complete shock, taking his eyes off the road to do so.

“Mind the little old lady!” Parrish yelped, and John looked up to see an old woman hobbling across the road with her shopping bag in hand.

“Jesus Mary and Joseph!” he cried, swerving around her, looking in the mirror to see her shaking her fist, giving them the finger and clearly swearing abuse at them but he was too concerned with everything else that was going on to pay attention to her.

“Are you crazy? You want to let Derek go?” he demanded as they blared through the town, and to his surprise, Parrish shook his head.

“No, if he’s still there, we catch him and put him back, but if he does escape…well there are people higher up the food chain who need to be caught aren’t there?” he asked suggestively, and John frowned, he wasn’t for it at all, but the kid did raise a point, and they knew Derek was innocent, so perhaps if they did shimmy him down the list if he did escape it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, after all, every murderer and rapist and who knew what else was in the damn prison would be making a break for it by now, including an entire clan of hunters who would happily slaughter every kid he was fond of in the town.

“Hmm, I suppose…alright, we need a status update, oh the joys of being the closest sheriff to the prison. You ok?” he asked Parrish and the younger man looked at him, his eyes betraying the fear he felt.

“It’s just…Mikaela was on duty tonight.” He informed him, and John nodded grimly, understanding, it was hard enough going up against a load of people who they had put behind bars in the first place without there being someone he cared for being there on top of all that.

“It’ll be fine kid don’t worry. And we’ve got police forces coming in from all the nearby towns, special operations units, FBI, even the National Guard are coming to lend a hand, we’ll get many of them rounded up as we can. Mikaela will be fine.” He assured him, but his certainty was rapidly eroding with every squawk of the radio as they blazed out of Beacon Hills, now tearing up the motorway on the way to the prison, numerous other police cars in their convoy as they headed to their destination.

“Repeat, all prisoners cells have now opened, repeat, all prisoners are now out of their cells!” one man yelled frantically before a final scream shut off his transmission, which made the colour drain from both of their faces.

And as they got closer to the prison the reports didn’t get any better. Fires had now consumed the building, prisoners were now armed with knives, guns, batons and anything else they could get their hands on, guards and policemen were down, some if not all dead, prisoners were fleeing into the woods, helicopters were surrounding the area but one had had to land due to a strange internal fire, people had been kicked out of their cars and hijacked, emergency services were coming under attack, and the prisoners were apparently as keen to slaughter one another in their haste to escape as they were to slaughter the ones who were trying to stop them.

“This just keeps getting better and better.” John grumbled as they blazed towards the prison, praying that they would be able to restore some semblance of order…and that the kids would stay as far away from all this as possible.

Beside him however, Parrish’s mind was abuzz with theories, possibilities and fears, all of which led back to Mikaela. True they hadn’t been going out for long but still, he cared for her, and given time it could perhaps become more, and all he could think about now was the fact that the girl he liked was in severe danger as the prison burned ahead of them.

 

XX

 

After months, of never ending pain, of his warnings being ignored, of endless boredom, endless frustration and his endless to desire to escape, the door finally slid open, the alarms blaring as a prison at war with itself raged all around him. He got to his feet cautiously, but there were none of his guards on the other side of the door. He could hear them talking in panic, talking about making a run for it down the hall, but they weren’t focusing on him, which meant at long last, he could begin again. Pain still wracked his body, the blinding light still haunted his dreams, but at least he was finally free, he could begin again, he could make everyone else see what was clearly in front of their faces.

He would galvanise people, and then, he would stop them, stop them all, all the kids with glowing eyes.

He wasn’t going to be delayed any longer. Taking the shank he had been silently constructing in his solitary cell ever since he had been incarcerated here, barely able to move after the electricity had wracked his body, he took his first free step out of his cell in months and edged forward, the two FBI guards he’d been appointed looking furtively around the place before one of them mentioned his name and turned back around, only to see the crazy whites of his eyes as he plunged his shank into the man’s jugular. The man fell with a wet gurgle, blood spurting up the walls as his panicked partner tried to raise his weapon but he was far too late for that as the shank sliced across his neck, blood gushing from the wound as he collapsed to the floor, giving a wet gasp as he and his partner bled over the wall and the floor.

Taking a deep savouring breath and pocketing the shank, he bent down and picked up the gun the guard had been trying to use, and also his night stick you could never tell when one of them might come in handy.

Secreting them about himself, alarms blaring all around him, fire licking at the lower floors as he progressed along the corridor, his feet leaving footprints of blood as he had strolled through the leftovers of his victims, screams and shouts filling the air, he made his way to the end of the shattered corridor, rubble having cascaded down into a massive slide that would allow him, with difficulty, to make good his escape. Prisoners were spilling everywhere, but now the police and others had arrived they had more immediate worries than him. One lone prisoner from a distance was a lot less hassle than a lot of prisoners close enough to stab you. So, keeping his hand on his weapons just to be safe, he began to descend the slope of rubble, fires and blood and bodies surrounding him as the prisoners and police clashed. He made his way down, watching as one poor cop had his head bashed in my some thug with a pipe, and he smiled. No one would notice his escape.

Reaching the bottom of the slope, he took a savouring breath, enjoying the acrid smell of death, fire, smoke and blood, and with that, William Barrow left the prison behind and headed for freedom.

 

XX

 

“You sure we can’t just stay in?” Scott asked, rubbing his nose up the back of Isaac’s neck as they both stood with towels wrapped around their waists and Isaac smiled into the mirror as he watched his boyfriend’s toned body nestle up to his own.

“Yes I’m sure, we could all use the break. Besides, we’ve had sex twice in the last four hours, so what else would we do?” he purred, and Scott wrapped his fingers around his boyfriend’s slim waist, making Isaac moan a little in pleasure as he slid his hand down beneath the towel and started stroking Isaac’s rapidly erecting penis.

“That give you an idea?” he whispered playfully and Isaac smiled, wrapping his hand around Scott’s waist and laying his hand on his buttock.

“Some yeah, but later. Your little vice captain wants to hang out, and ever so tempting though it is to go back and do it all over again, we did just have a very long shower for no reason. We owe it to your mom, to Liam and to the water company to go out.” He whispered, though he did have to admit, the thought of just getting back into bed, going at it again and then cuddling up to Scott all night was rather a good one.

“Fine, party pooper.” Scott complained, pouting a little as he started to get changed.

“Aww don’t pout, we can do it later again.” Isaac promised and Scott grinned as he started to get dressed.

Isaac did the same thing, pulling a long sleeved top on before he moved towards Scott, his fingers running through his lover’s hair and silently pulled him into the bathroom, Scott rolling his eyes in amusement as Isaac reached for Scott’s gel.

Isaac’s fingers were running through Scott’s hair a second later, Scott’s eyes closing in appreciation enjoying the touch as Isaac styled his hair. Isaac let him know he had finished by kissing him hungrily before turning to wash his hands, Scott grinning as he saw that Isaac had done his usual style before he took Isaac’s wax and returned the favour, Isaac moaning in pleasure as he did so, his fingers running through his boyfriend’s hair, styling Isaac’s hair into a quiff before kissing his cheek.

“Thanks.” Isaac whispered, taking Scott’s hand as the phone rang.

Both of them rolled their eyes into the mirror before a grumbling Scott took Isaac by the hand and dragged him through to the room, silently vowing that if it was Liam phoning to cancel he would kill the little guy and then he would resume his original plan of having Isaac all to himself all night.

“Hello!” he barked, and to his surprise he heard Malia’s voice.

“Scott, turn on the tv, now.” She ordered, her voice strained, and curious as to what had her bothered, he pointed for Isaac to turn on the tv. Isaac scowled and gave him a mock bow (and the finger for good measure) but turned the tv on anyway.

And then the images of the prison on fire with prisoners spilling out all over the place took over the screen.

“Oh bugger me.” Isaac whispered in shock.

“Stiles got the update from hacking the police system, the entire station has emptied to try and round up the prisoners, which as we know include the Callavera clan.” She told Scott over the phone, and Scott groaned, it had taken them ages to round up all the Callavera hunters and now they were all going to back out again.

“Great. A prison riot is the last thing we need. Wait, Derek’s there!” he exclaimed, and Isaac turned and looked at Scott, his face suddenly looking worried as the implications sank in.

“And there’s an army of pissed off prisoners all making a run for it as well, including the Callavera clan. Scott, the police will never capture them all in time.” Isaac pointed out, and Scott bit his lip, looking worriedly at the screen.

He was right, an army of prisoners would now be on the move, and the more of them escaped, the more dangerous it would be for everyone else. Scott shuddered at the memory of the damage Barrow had done in the past and could have done again if Kira’s powers hadn’t kicked in. An army of prisoners on the loose, Derek caught right in the middle.

“We need to help them.” Scott whispered, and to his surprise, Stiles then took command of the phone.

“Well what I’m thinking is that since the prison is open anyway…why don’t we take the chance to liberate Derek?” Stiles asked hesitantly, and Scott looked at the phone in surprise.

“Wait, what? You want to break Derek out of prison?” he asked in disbelief, Isaac looking just as shocked as he felt.

“Well in case you haven’t noticed, someone’s already kind of beaten us to it. And if he has any sense, Derek’s probably going to try and get out of there anyway, so all we really need to do is…intercept him.” Stiles suggested nervously.

“Remember your dad, the sheriff?” Scott protested and Stiles sighed, sounding incredibly guilty.

“Yeah I do, but Scotty, we all know Derek didn’t do it, and if he gets moved to county he’s no good to anyone and we’re no good to him. And besides, when dad eventually gets a hold of all this, Derek will be fairly low down the food chain as an unproved criminal, there’ll be worse people than him to capture.” He pointed out, and Scott did have to admit there was a point to that.

“And at the very least, there’s going to be a load of prisoners making a run for it. The police could use all the help they can get.” Isaac pointed out softly, and Scott sighed, knowing they had no choice.

They had to protect Derek, no matter what. He was alone, in the middle of a prison riot, with an army of murderous hunters likely to be after him. And like they said, there were hundreds of prisoners, many of whom could be dangerous, now making a run for it. If they could help protect anyone, they ought to do it.

“Call everyone. We need to make sure Derek’s ok. We can follow the trails through the woods, one thing about being the pack around here we know them pretty well. We’ll meet you there.” Scott ordered and Stiles acknowledged and hung up.

“You’re not sold on this are you?” Isaac asked him worriedly, and Scott shrugged helplessly.

“Stiles is right, it’s kind of late now as it is, the prison’s already bust open, but I don’t know, yeah we attacked an armoured car but that was different. Don’t get me wrong, I want Derek out of prison, of course I do, but doing it this way seems…well it just seems to me like we’re making it worse.” He mumbled and Isaac sighed.

“I know honey. But look at it this way, maybe if he’s out, we can figure out more about what happened that night, clear his name that way. Let’s face it, none of us are getting anywhere as it is.” He said and Scott nodded, he was right about that at least.

“I suppose. And he is already out, we’re protecting him, I’m the Alpha, it’s my job.” He justified and Isaac grinned.

“Yeah, and you’re pretty good at it. But now you have to do something scummy.” He said sympathetically, and Scott looked at him in confusion.

“What?”

“Tell Liam you’re not going.” Isaac advised, and Scott deflated a little at the thought of the let-down expression on the kid’s face when he told him none of the pack, and the two people he liked most in the pack, were coming.

 

XX

 

“Well that’s interesting, what is this, Gotham City?” Braeden asked as she looked up the news on the internet about the break in.

“Where’s that?” Morrell asked from the other end of the phone, and Braeden rolled her eyes, yeah she got that her mentor wasn’t entirely with it but you would think that since one of her former charges was a comic nerd who now worked in a comic store she would at least have some clue.

“Never mind. Huh…do you reckon it’s a coincidence that a prison that has had what, two maybe three escapes in the entire time it’s been around has suddenly been blown open and there’s prisoners running everywhere?” Braeden asked, and she could practically hear the small, fleeting satisfied grin passing across her mentor’s face.

“Not for a second. If I hadn’t been labouring to get French into his head for the last few years I would suspect Scott of this to try and break Derek out of prison, but one, that isn’t his style, this is far too violent to be him and three…well sweet though he is he just isn’t that bright. But I don’t believe for a second that this is nothing to do with someone else who might be in the prison, for example, a clan of Mexican hunters.”

Braeden’s breath hissed through her teeth, the cogs in her mind working overtime. Of course, virtually the entire Callavera clan was in the prison due to their repeatedly thwarted efforts to take down the pack on their quest for answers about Araya, and now all of them would be free to make an escape. But considering who else was in the prison that would probably be their second order of priority.

“Derek is in there.” She said, and Morrell made a sound of assent.

“Correct. I think it’s time we rectify that situation.” She said boldly, and Braeden took the phone away from her ear and looked at her in surprise.

“Wait, you want me to break him out of jail?” she asked in shock, and Morrell sighed.

“For a start, if he has any sense, he’ll be breaking out anyway, after all the entire place is going up in flames and let’s face it, there’ll soon be an army of hunters out looking for his blood. And we aren’t getting anywhere trying to find out what happened to him that night with him in there, and from the looks of it, considering the attacks on the pack, there is a powerful new creature in town and he’s much more use to Scott outside than in. So yes, bust him out.” Morrell ordered, and Braeden scoffed slightly.

“Sure, I’ll just stroll into a burning prison and free the werewolf prisoner.” She complained, though she had to admit, there was a certain appeal in getting Derek out of prison.

“I know it’s illegal, but we need him on the outside, that way we’re better equipped to go about clearing his name. And besides Scott could use the help, especially with a new threat in town.” She explained.

“But what are we meant to do with him, he’s a fugitive for crying out loud!” Braeden protested though she was already getting her things, and considering whether she should take the stun gun she used on the twins when she rescued Isaac.

“Get him out, and we can make plans after that, we can do more with him outside than we can with him inside. So, go fetch. And besides…it’s not as if you’re really going to protest the job.” Morrell said, and Braeden could hear the smug grin on her face, and she scowled affectionately.

“I’m going to ignore that and go get Derek.” She said, trying to maintain her dignity, and Morrell made a noise of satisfaction before hanging up.

“Memo to me: wipe smug grin off her face later.” Braeden grumbled before getting her stuff and leaving her apartment.

 

XX

 

The door finally opened to his cell, flooding the room with the sounds of a rioting prison. Derek snarled in frustration, the alarms had been going off for ages now, the smell of smoke permeating his cell and it had still taken ages for the door to his cell to be opened. Now, frankly relieved he wasn’t about to be cooked to death in his own locked cell, Derek stepped out of his cell into the relative freedom of the corridor.

There was that smell; again, that vaguely familiar smell that he didn’t recognise but knew he’d smelled before. But now, when he had a chance to actually follow it back to its source, the smell of smoke, dust and death was overpowering his senses, it would be very difficult to follow the trail. However, speaking of death…

He moved forward, finding two dead FBI guards, their necks sliced open by some blade or other. Someone had already been along this way, most likely his mysterious neighbour, the smell of which he still couldn’t identify, and he had clearly done this on the way out.

“Great, I better not got blamed for this on top of everything else.” He grumbled, and considered his options.

The prison was burning and judging by the alarms blaring, the sirens he could vaguely make out and the yells and screams, there was a full blown riot going on as the various prisoners made a break for it, no matter what their crime. But unlike them, he hadn’t committed a crime, well, at least he didn’t think he had. The prison had been cracked open in a scene straight out of Batman, and there was no one left to enforce any sort of order in the place. And now, he had a choice to make: did he stay in his cell like a good prisoner, or did he make a run for it? Escaping could very well make his situation worse, certainly, but if he was going to get out of here, if he was going to prove that he had nothing to do with the murder of those hunters, then he couldn’t do it from in here.

And quite frankly, he was bored with prison.

The matter was a moot one anyway as he heard shouting coming from the end of the corridor, turning to find a group of five Callavera hunters grinning with malice as they beheld their apparently trapped prey.

“Aw crap.” Derek bemoaned as they advanced, all of them wielding a weapon of some sort, some of them with shanks, or knives, one had a baton and two had heavy looking clubs that looked like they had been created from the legs of a desk.

“Well well, if it isn’t the murderous wolf.” Their apparent leader growled, and Derek snarled in annoyance before extending his claws.

“Look, I didn’t kill Araya or your friends, and I should point out that I’ve been locked in a cell for months and I’m severely hacked off about it, so why don’t you be good moronic hunters and leave me the hell alone.” He snarled, and the leader looked around at his companions before sniggering in cold delight.

“I don’t think so wolf, I think it’s time I taught you a little lesson, and make you pay for Araya!” he sneered and Derek prepared to pounce as the hunters advanced upon him, weapons at the ready.

 

XX

 

The entire pack had responded to the summons, including Jackson to Scott’s slight surprise and now all of them were ensconced in a clearing in the middle of the woods, where they could distantly hear the sounds coming from the prison break spreading through the woods.

“This is crazy, we’re actually helping Derek break out of prison?” Kira demanded in shock, and Scott sighed wearily.

“No, not technically, technically all we’re doing is helping him escape from a place that he’s already meant to be escaping from, that’s all. Besides, that isn’t the main reason why we’re here.” He explained, and Jackson looked at him sceptically, blowing onto his cold fingers to try and warm up in the cold winter air.

“Well why are we here?” he asked curiously, and Isaac smiled grimly.

“Mainly to stop a bunch of pissed off hunters who it took us ages to lock up behind bars from getting loose and making us do it all over again, the fact that we can hopefully get Derek away from here in the process, well, that’s just an added bonus.” He said, checking his bow and making sure he had both his daggers.

Jackson looked around the pack, all of them wielding various weapons, feeling decidedly left out since he didn’t have any at all to speak of. They had all changed so much, true he didn’t know much about the twins, Malia or Kira, but the others had all become, well, kind of badass in his absence.

“How come I don’t get any cool weapons?” he asked irritably, and Danny, clad in his leather jacket and wearing a scarf just like their other archer, smiled at him.

“That’ll teach you to come late to the party.” He chided with a grin and Lydia smiled.

“True, you’ve missed loads. See what I’ve got.” Lydia boasted, activating her taser which a freaked out looking Malia pointed away from herself, scowling at Lydia before she accidentally zapped her.

“Watch it!” she complained, and Lydia did have the grace to look vaguely sheepish.

“Sorry.” She muttered, and Jackson looked vaguely put out, and Scott patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got enough natural weapons.” He assured him, and Isaac clicked his fingers, reaching into his quiver and pulling out a metal looking glove and passing it to Stiles.

“Since all you do is moan that you don’t have any decent weapons, I made this for you using some of Argent’s silver. It’s a gauntlet, but the claws are made of silver so they should slow down any bad guy, problem is I didn’t have time to make another one, and besides, I wanted to see if you liked that one first.” He told Stiles, who looked at the clawed gauntlet eagerly and pulled it on, flexing his fingers in the metal gauntlet, admiring the shiny claws that Isaac had given him.

“Awesome, thanks dude!” he said in excitement, and swiped at the tree he was standing beside, which to his delight, left a deep gouge as the metallic claws dug deep into the bark.

“Wait, you made him a gauntlet?” Scott demanded, perturbed, and Isaac shrugged a little.

“Um no, Argent said I could give Stiles the gauntlet since he isn’t as strong now as he was when he was possessed and might get a bit too ahead of himself, all I did was make the claws on the end and attach them. And yeah, I’m good.” He said with a smirk as Scott looked vaguely overwhelmed.

“Alright so what’s…the…plan…squirrel!” Malia growled and Stiles quickly grabbed her before she chased a squirrel which was happily staring down at them all harmlessly.

“You can continue your one woman war against squirrel kind later. Scott?” Stiles asked, keeping a firm hand on his girlfriend, and Scott turned to the twins.

“You two, head towards the prison, see if you can sniff out Derek and get him the hell away from there. If we don’t find him…well it isn’t a disaster and we just go about it normally, but if he is making a break for it, I’d rather we found him than anyone else.” He ordered, and while the twins nodded, Ethan looked a little sceptical.

“Sure but…we are talking about basically busting him from prison, and well…it is a crime and we might already have a record, after all, as Jackson so kindly pointed out to Danny, we are former murderers.” He growled, and Jackson looked vaguely apologetic while Danny squirmed guiltily.

“Yeah I know but you’re the only ones who can reasonably do it. See, you’re twins.” Scott pointed out, and the two looked at each other, completely lost before Stiles eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh I get it, because you are twins, if anyone spots you, you can blame the other one and no one would be any the wiser. It’s misdirection, and sure it’s not very good, but it’s the best we have.” He explained, and the twins looked vaguely satisfied with this response and nodded.

“Sure ok, are you sure you’ll be ok? You don’t need me or Ethan to stay, for backup?” Aiden asked Scott worriedly, and Scott nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, I will be. Now go, see if you can find Derek, meet back here.” He ordered and the twins sent him a mock salute and the two leather clad boys vanished into the trees at a run, bound in the direction of the prison.

“And what about the rest of us?” Jackson asked as he looked around, maybe it was because he was trapped in the middle of a forest which was an escape route for prisoners but all of a sudden, despite being surrounded by the rest of the pack, he suddenly felt a great deal of trepidation about being in here, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

“Someone with a good nose goes in each direction, north, east, south and west and see if we can find any prisoners, and if we do…we get all vigilante on them.” Scott said, looking slightly nervous but also slightly exhilarated as well.

“Wait, you want us to track down all the prisoners?” Malia asked as she eyed the squirrel suspiciously, and wasn’t entirely convinced that the way it was moving its hand wasn’t meant to be giving her the finger.

“No, not all of them, just any we come across and tie them up for the police to find. And if we find the any Callaveras, take them down or we’ll be fighting them all over again.” He told them as he opened the storage compartment beneath the seat on his bike and pulled out some rope.

“Be careful.” He ordered and beckoned to Isaac who trotted after him, his bow ready as they headed in much the same direction as the twins had done.

“Oh so we’re going then. Come on sweetie.” Stiles ordered, pulling Malia away from her staring contest with the squirrel, shouldering a length of rope he had taken from the garage before dragging her towards the east.

“You and me then, come on.” Kira said, drawing her sword, opening the trunk of her car and revealing a lot of chains.

“Um, why does she have all those chains?” Jackson whispered to Danny, and his best friend shrugged, looking a little uncertainly at the girl who passed a shocked Lydia some of the chains before they headed south.

“With Kira we’ve kind of learned just to go with it, she’s a little…odd.” He said diplomatically, and Lydia turned to the two remaining boys.

“There’s some chains in the back of my car.” She told them before she readied her taser and headed south with Kira.

Jackson opened the trunk and went a little red as he pulled the chains out of the back of the car, trying to ignore Danny’s smug grin which he knew his best friend had on his face.

“I take it you recognise them?” Danny asked playfully, and Jackson shot him a dirty look, trying and failing not to look pleased at the memory.

“Maybe a little.” He admitted, and Dany grinned, cocking his head, smiling in delight.

“Were you gagged?” he teased and Jackson slammed the trunk rather than answer properly, which all but answered Danny’s question for him anyway.

“Reckon she did it with Aiden?” Jackson asked, trying to act as though the answer wouldn’t bother him even though it would slightly.

“Well after chains were involved Ethan was suddenly very interested in doing it with me.” Danny mumbled softly, looking broodingly into the distance and Jackson sighed.

“When you going to talk to him? Because I got to tell you, ever since you dumped him, you’ve been a boring roommate.” He complained, and Danny harrumphed.

“Well if I’m so boring why not go and stay with someone else?” he asked scathingly, and Jackson folded his arms and sent his best friend a dirty look.

“Hey don’t get diva with me, yeah sure, it’s partly my fault but you’re the one who wanted to take a break between you two. And you aren’t telling me you don’t miss him, I heard you last night.” He said quietly, and Danny glowered but looked away, so what if he’d been missing Ethan a little last night, didn’t mean anything, well it did, but he just…he couldn’t talk to him yet, not knowing what he had done, he just wasn’t there yet.

“Drop it ok? Come on, let’s go prisoner hunting.” He ordered and set off, and sighing a little, and feeling that guilt which only seemed to exist for when he accidentally hurt his best friend, Jackson shouldered Lydia’s chains and headed off after his best friend, leaving the cars behind, under a watchful pair of eyes high up in the trees, who were unnoticed by a glowing pair of red eyes on the ground.

 

XX

 

“A girl!” the prisoner yelled in delight as Lydia emerged from the trees, and she sighed, activating her taser, and the three men guffawed in delight, advancing upon her leeringly.

“You know how long it’s been since we saw a pretty young thing like you love?” one man, a balding, wheezy man with bad teeth and a haggard face questioned, and Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Probably since you got locked up in jail, mind you from the look of you, probably a long time before that.” She quipped sweetly, and the lead man seemed to falter a little, when his burly skinheaded companion leaned close to the man in the centre of the group.

“I think she just insulted you boss.” He whispered, and the leader’s face turned to one of outrage.

“You’re giving me cheek? You know why I’m even in prison in the first place? Boys, hold this cheeky little bitch down, I’m going to give her a lesson she won’t ever forget!” he vowed as he started pulling down his orange trousers and Lydia just smiled sweetly as his two enforcers advanced.

There was then a whistling noise and one of her would be attackers looked into the air to see Kira somersault through the air and drop catlike behind him, her sword in hand. Shocked by her appearance he took a step back and with a scream he fell to the floor, his entire body convulsing as Lydia brandished her taser, watching in satisfaction as he twitched on the ground.

The other two roared in fury but Kira and Lydia were both already on the move, Kira’s booted heel crashing into the other henchman’s chest, knocking him flat on his back while their ringleader, pulling his trousers back up, made his grasping way towards Lydia’s neck. Kira pivoted gracefully, her blade nicking the lining of his trousers and he roared in furious outrage as his sliced pants dropped to the ground, and Lydia cocked her head sympathetically.

“Aww, you couldn’t even teach a canary a lesson with something that size.” She said fairly and he roared angrily before Kira crashed her foot into his side before kicking him as she did a backflip, knocking him to the ground where Lydia finished him off with a zap, leaving him squirming on the ground.

The other gave a startled cry and made a run for it, looking at the two girls who had just schooled them in shock but Kira was faster, her sword slicing the backs of his tendons and dropping him to the ground before he got too far, smiling happily as she did so.

“You know that was kind of fun!” she exclaimed brightly, and Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Speak for yourself, you weren’t the one acting as bait.” She pointed out, and Kira shrugged as she chained one of their convulsing victims to a tree.

“Still fun though, we kick ass together, we make a good team.” She said, giving Lydia a high five as Lydia securely chained up the leader, who looked as though he wanted to spit on her but as his muscles wouldn’t work he was rather prevented from doing that.

“Yeah, we do. Impressive move, cutting his pants like that.” Lydia said in amusement, and Kira grinned as she finished attaching the last guy to a tree.

“You know, I blame Tom and Jerry, ever since I got my sword I’ve been wanting to do that to a guy. Look on the bright side pal, least I didn’t cut anything important off which could easily have happened. Mind you, if what she said was true, there wouldn’t have been much difference either way.” Kira taunted the ringleader who let out a gurgling growl before contenting himself with glaring at them in annoyance.

The two of them then walked away from their captives, Lydia smirking a little as they did so.

“So, you’ve been wanting to do that to a guy for a while have you? Maybe one like Liam?” she wheedled, and Kira shot her a shocked look.

“What do you mean?” she demanded and Lydia laughed.

“Oh please, as if I haven’t noticed you giving your new vice-captain the once over.” She said majestically, and Kira slowed to a stop, gaping a little.

“I do not fancy Liam!” she declared, then hurried to catch up to her friend, who said nothing and simply allowed herself a small knowing smile as they headed to find their next victim.

 

XX

 

“Come on, the pigs wont even know we were here, come on, faster!” one man urged and the group that he was leading staggered up the hill away from the prison, and Scott looked at them musingly from behind the three he and Isaac were standing at.

“How do we know they’re criminals?” he asked, and Isaac gave him a fleeting look of amusement.

“The orange get up tends to make you think that, let’s face it, no one would wear that willingly.” He pointed out and while Scott grinned a little, conceding the point.

“Yeah but…so they were all in prison, yeah, and some of the guys in there are bad guys no question, look at the Callaveras. But then there’s other people, what if they’re like Derek, who were accused and they just couldn’t prove they were innocent? Or people who were given stupid long sentences, or didn’t do anything that bad? Should we really be making sure they get put back?” Scott asked softly, and to his surprise Isaac was looking at him tenderly rather than looking at him like he was crazy, which is what most of the others would do if he had said the same thing to them.

“That’s one of the things I love most about you you know, seeing the best in everyone. After all, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you seeing the best in us, me, Derek, the twins…you saw the good in all of us. But honey…yeah there’s a good chance that someone didn’t do their job properly, or that they were just victims of circumstance. And sure, there’s a good chance that a lot of them don’t actually deserve to be in prison. But we can’t make that decision. All we know is there’s a lot of guys who were locked up for whatever reason now all making a break for it, and if we don’t stop them, there’ll be chaos. And if nothing else, it might bring your dad back to town which none of us want.” He pointed out and Scott sighed, still not looking entirely sold on the subject.

“I know, you’re right, and it’s dangerous having all these guys running around, for them as well as for everyone else. Thing is how do we know the good people from the bad?” he asked, and Isaac shrugged, looking at the escaping prisoners worriedly.

“We can’t. We just hope that if we stop them escaping, someone can sort all this out before they make things worse for themselves.” Isaac said quietly, and Scott sighed, figuring there was no other way out of this situation.

“Ok, but I don’t like it, but I suppose we don’t have much choice.” He lamented, and Isaac nuzzled him a little, kissing his cheek.

“You are sweet. But right now, we have other problems. And think of it this way, if we get caught appropriating Derek, well, we’ll need someone who is as sweet as you to take pity on us!” he said brightly and Scott sniggered a little as the two of them headed to capture the escaping convicts.

 

XX

 

One of the hunters screamed as an increasingly irate Derek threw him up the length of the corridor, slamming him into a crumbling wall as flames licked around them, surrounding the combatants in the ruins of the devastated prison.

“You are going to die for what you did to Araya!” one of them spat and Derek rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“For the final time I never hurt Araya, or your other inbred family members! I don’t know what happened that night but it wasn’t me who did anything to them!” he protested as one of the Callavera hunters swung his improvised bat at his head.

Snarling Derek avoided the blow and grabbed the club, wrenching it from his assailant’s hand with a loud snap as his wrist shattered, making the man scream, and with a sigh of irritation he threw the bat away before backhanding the hunter across into the wall, ash and dust falling on him as he crashed into it and lay still.

“Get him, rush him!” their apparent leader urged and the three of them charged at the werewolf who simply rolled his eyes.

And as they fell on him, shanks and other improvised weapons going for whatever areas they could reach of their target, Derek gave a ferocious snarl and fell into the battle, feeling, for the first time in months, like himself. He was no longer feeling sorry for himself, trapped within the confines of his cell or of his own mind, he was out, he was free and he was back on form and against him, five imprisoned hunters had very little chance as he worked out his months’ worth of frustration. Snarling he deftly avoided the swing of one of the hunters, the blade narrowly missing where his neck had been seconds before, before he wrenched the blade from his hand, sending it clattering away before he crashed his fist into the hunter’s face, sending him to the ground with a squeal and effectively removing him from the fight.

With a cry of fury, one of the other remaining hunters jabbed for his stomach but Derek’s claws ripped into him, ripping a chunk out of his chest and with a bored growl, Derek hurled him bodily up the corridor where he slammed to the ground and rolled over the edge, toppling down the slope of rubble that had been caused by the explosion.

And Derek then easily caught the last hunter’s desperate attack, glaring at him with his glowing blue eyes and then launched the man over the edge to join his friend.

Yeah, he actually did feel a lot better.

And now, with the hunters gone, he had to get out of here before anyone, be they hunter or cop, tried to stop him from escaping. Taking a last look around, making sure the hunters he had dealt with were down and out, Derek finally made his bid for freedom.

Derek winced as more rubble cascaded down from the shattered roof as flames and the noises of battle filled the air around him, chunks of masonry falling and tumbling down the already more than ample slope of ruined masonry, metal and the occasional body. Derek avoided a particularly violent fire as he picked his way down the slope and with a last roundabout route to avoid an increasing fire he finally reached terra firma and breathed in the free air.

Admittedly the air was choking with smoke, fire, fumes and death, but it was free nonetheless, and he was finally out of that damned prison and would be able to prove his innocence, well, somehow. He had no clue what he would do, or how he would do it, but he did know he wasn’t going to stay in that prison any longer, he was bored rigid of being stuck in there, and from what Scott had relayed to him, it was clear that some other threat was on the move in the town, and he wasn’t going to sit back while his pack were in deadly danger.

He quickly made his way away from the burning prison, picking across the dead bodies that were littering the exercise courtyard, Derek frowning as he made his way away. Sure he had wanted out of there but this, the violence, the explosion, he hadn’t wanted this.

But that begged the question, why was this happening?

Prison breaks on this scale were incredibly rare, but someone had gone to all the trouble of actually busting the prison open and letting the prisoners all loose, but who, and what was their endgame, why would they do it?

He was disturbed from his musings on this subject as he got further away from the burning main building as the scene in the courtyard came to his attention. Gun fire was ringing across the yard as the desperate police, outnumbered, tried to hold back the prisoners and round many of them up. The prisoners however were now in charge of various weapons, including improvised Molotov cocktails which some of them (who appeared to be arsonists of some description) seemed to be enjoying with reckless abandon. Some of them had also gotten their hands on various guns and some had even created slingshots, and the others were just using whatever they could get their hands on as they tried to force their way through the marshalled police that were standing between them and freedom.

Derek ducked to avoid the whistling of a bullet that one overzealous cop had fired at him when he wasn’t even doing anything, but Derek could see that this situation was quickly getting out of control as another group of prisoners gave a war cry upon seeing the beleaguered police officers, all of them arming themselves as they moved to encircle the trapped police officers. Derek looked at the scene worriedly, he wanted out of here, there was no question of that, but he also couldn’t let those cops fight that many pissed off prisoners alone.

Stupid lousy Alpha making him care about other people. Actually, that was a point to consider at a later date. He wasn’t exactly a naturally helpful person, he had only started helping Scott originally because he had wanted to discover who had murdered Laura. The twins weren’t exactly good Samaritans. Yet despite that, they, he and several of the others, would now go out of their way to help others when they wouldn’t have before, and it was in some way all linked back to Scott being their Alpha.

Fortunately, he was saved the necessity of helping the cops himself as a convoy of police cars, sirens blazing, roared into the courtyard, stopping the advance of the small army of prisoners with various officers from various different localities all outfitted in riot gear and other heavy equipment, clambering out of their cars and getting into the throng.

Sure that he spied the sheriff among the group, Derek was about to slink away when he roared, a sharp pain in his ankle. Looking down he saw one of the hunters he thought he had dealt with grinning up at him madly, his improvised knife dripping with the blood of the werewolf.

“That’s just a taste of what you’ll get for killing Araya!” he spat, and Derek, thoroughly fed up of repeating himself, kicked the hunter in the skull and the man went still.

“Alright, I’m clearing my name, if only to shut you morons up! Of all the hunters in the world, how come the true Alpha attracted the dregs of their society?” Derek demanded, spitting at the prone man in distaste and edged away from the ongoing battle between prisoner and the guardians of the law, staying low and as out of sight as he possibly could, quickly making his way away from the ongoing standoff, picking his way along the perimeter and finally, when the noises of the battle were much more muted, he finally allowed himself a breath of relief as he moved towards the boundary fence, distant shouts keeping him alert. However, he was too far gone to go back now, and as his hands closed around the wire that kept them in, he had to suppress the urge to let out a triumphant roar, and marshalling his strength, Derek took a hold of the fence, and propelled himself up into the air, flipping mid flight, and after all those months, he descended, landing catlike on the other side of the fence.

At long last, he was finally free!

“Huh, maybe I should have just ignored Scott and did that ages ago.” He mused, but then to his surprise he felt a cold metal barrel pressing against his head, and rather than be worried, all he did was roll his eyes.

Wasn’t that just typical of his luck?

“Not a word wolf, or I blow your brains back into the prison where they belong.” Another Callavera sneered in his ear and Derek sighed, he could see why Scott had been getting supremely fed up of putting up with the various Callavera clan members, they were like rats the number (and intelligence) of them.

“Look, I’m finally out of prison for the first time in months and you are in my way so why not put the gun down and we can both go about our business?” Derek asked musingly, pondering his next move and behind him the man scoffed in disdain.

“You would life that wouldn’t you? No, I’m not a helpless victim like Araya and the others were, this time you’re the victim, and I’m going to make you pay for what you did!”

Derek was so fed up of hearing this mindless prattle that he wasn’t even going to respond this time, just shatter the idiot’s chest, but there was then a low growl behind him, and for the first time in ages, Derek allowed himself a true smile.

“Sorry, but he’s our wolf.” Ethan told the terrified hunter, who now smelled distinctly of urine, and with that, Aiden hoisted him into the air and threw the man away with a scream, allowing Derek to turn in amusement to behold the twins.

“Welcome back to the land of the free.” Aiden said with a grin, and Derek smiled grimly, raising an eyebrow.

“Took you long enough. What are you two doing here? Wait, if you’re here to put me back in there, I won’t be responsible for my actions!” he declared, and Ethan looked at him, clearly bored.

“No dumbass, why do you think Scott asked us to come, that way if anyone is lucky enough to spot us we can both claim it was the other, gives us a little bit of deniability. No, odd as it sounds, and even though he’s a bit unsure,” Ethan began, allowing Aiden to interject,

“Which is mainly because he’s worried that it’ll get the sheriff into trouble.”

“He agrees, we need to get you out of here, so let’s go before some idiot spots us, or that guy’s friends come along looking for him. Let’s go!” Ethan urged, and Derek was so taken aback that all he did was gape stupidly for a few seconds before an exasperated Aiden shoved him, making him walk away from the prison boundary.

“So we’re getting me out of here, Scott’s actually busting me out of prison?” Derek asked, and Aiden nodded a pace or two behind him.

“Yeah, he agrees that we won’t get another chance like this, and after all this, we won’t be any closer to getting you out of prison anyway, so we reckon that you can help us clear you from the outside since we’re getting nowhere with you on the inside.” He explained, and Ethan, who appeared to be the pathfinder, nodded in agreement.

t“Yeah, and Stiles reckoned you would bust yourself out anyway, the rest of us are just along to make sure you didn’t screw it up.” He said with a slight grin and Derek scowled and swatted at him, the younger wolf sniggering as he avoided the attack.

“And on top of that, there are god knows how many prisoners now making the great bid for freedom, so the rest of the pack are tracking down as many of them as they possibly can, make sure not too many escape.” Aiden added, and Derek smiled, that was typical Scott, even when he was doing something wrong he was still trying to do something right and help out.

“Suppose that makes sense, so what’s the plan?” he asked as Ethan led them up a small winding trail, and the twins shrugged in unison.

“Hey don’t ask us, we’re just the delivery boys, Scott’s the brains…oh god let’s face it, we don’t know that far ahead. Do all of Stiles and Scott’s plans work along the same lines?” Ethan asked curiously, and Derek, despite his slight annoyance that he didn’t know what the next move was, did allow himself a small smile, it reminded him of when Scott and Stiles had first come into his life.

“Yeah, pretty much. Do we know the rest of the plan for the night at least?” he pestered, and Ethan was about to answer when he stopped short, suddenly at the business end of a rifle.

Aiden gave a menacing growl and stepped forward, ready to defend his brother but the light shifted, revealing that it was Braeden who was pointing the gun at his twin.

“Oh it’s you.” Ethan breathed a sigh in relief, Aiden patting his shoulder reassuringly.

“God you three have to be the nosiest criminals in history. You two are aiding and abetting a prisoner escaping from prison, you’re not meant to broadcast it for crying out loud!” she scolded, lowering her electric rifle to her side while the twins scowled at her.

“Yeah well…I don’t have a comeback to that.” Ethan complained, and Derek grinned as he moved forward, and despite herself, Braeden felt her face soften slightly as she saw him.

“Hi. Happy to see me?” he asked with a smile, and she shot him an amused look in return,

“Slightly, but only slightly. Now, while you have gotten him, we’re not home free yet, we need to get out of here before anyone figures out we’re busting him out of prison. Oh that reminds me.” She said, and threw a satchel to Derek as the twins looked between the two of them suspiciously, and as Derek opened it, he grinned in delight.

“Proper clothes!” he exclaimed in delight, he would finally be out of the orange jumpsuit, and Aiden rolled his eyes as Derek changed, his nose bothering him, there was a strange scent on the air and he was suddenly very keen to be away from here.

“Come on hurry up, now that more cops have arrived some of them will be fanning out, we need to be gone by then!” Braeden urged, and Derek scowled at her as he threw the jumpsuit into the bushes and donned the clothes she brought him.

“Thank god I’m out of that stupid suit.”

“Yeah, no one can pull that off. Do you smell that?” Ethan asked worriedly, the smell beginning to bother his nostrils now as well, and Derek frowned nodding slightly

“Yeah, that doesn’t seem good to me. We should go.” He said worriedly, and Braeden rolled her eyes scowling.

“Which is what I’ve been telling you! Now come on, this way.” She ordered, her gun ready and flanking Derek between them, both twins shoved him to make him move faster and they followed Braeden away from the discarded suit, heading towards a steep incline.

“So how do we know we can trust you?” Ethan challenged, and Braeden looked at him, clearly bemused by the hostility.

“What you think I’m going to run off with the guy I’m breaking out of prison?” she countered, though admittedly, she wouldn’t say no if the opportunity presented itself, “Don’t worry, your Alpha will still scratch your ears and give you a belly rub for doing a good job.” She responded scathingly, and Ethan poked Aiden before he lost him to that thought, resulting in his twin scowling at him.

“Well since he’s finally out, we don’t want you running off with him for whatever reason. After all, you are a druid, and your pal Deaton isn’t exactly on our Christmas card list.” Aiden growled, and Braeden glared at him.

“And you think werewolves are high on mine? It was your former boss who ripped my neck open and left me for dead. And I don’t work with Deaton, I work with Morrell.”

“Who is admittedly nearly as shady as her brother is.” Derek pointed out quietly, and Braeden shot him a look of annoyed, slightly betrayed, after all, she was helping him here.

“Yeah well it was her bright idea to bust you out so if you think she’s so shady you can go back.” Braeden warned, and Derek put his hands in the air to appease her.

“Hey, easy! Look, I know she’s like your mentor but…well we keep getting screwed over by those two druids, you can hardly blame us. Though admittedly, Morrell is less of a problem than Deaton.” He admitted, and she sighed, nodding as they finally cleared the plants they had been travelling through, emerging in a small clearing at the foot of the steep incline.

“Ok come on, it isn’t far to where Scott and the others have their bikes and stuff, and don’t worry Fred and George, mine is there too in case you think I plan to bolt.” Braeden said sniffily, while both twins smirked at having gotten under her skin.

“So, just up…here…” Derek was about to ask and trailed off when he looked up to see the top of the incline covered in faint mist, but it wasn’t the mist that was bothering him.

It was the huge hulking beast covered in bone staring down at them that was really bothering him.

“What the hell is that?” Ethan gasped, as the hulking beast stared down at them, its breath whistling through its skull mask.

“That is a Berserker, and if it’s from where I think it’s from, then that one isn’t the only one!” Derek said in alarm and as if to prove him right another Berserker suddenly hulked out of the mist, the two of them staring down at the small group.

The two Berserkers chittered at them in a strange, chittering, clunking, cold, dead language, and without another word, the one of them reached behind its head and extracted a long curved blade made of jagged bone from a holster on its back. The other one drew a long, straight sword from a holster on its hip as the two Berserkers stared down at their captive prey.

“What is a Berserker and why is it here?” Aiden demanded, his eyes glowing blue as his claws extended, but then turned in shock as another two Berserkers appeared, one from each side, one with another long curved blade and the other with daggers of bone coming from their wrists.

“They used to be humans, humans that sacrificed their humanity for strength. By wearing the skins and the bones of their animals, they became more and more animal like until they become…well that!” Derek explained, and Braeden moved a little closer to them, aiming at the two at the top of the slope while the twins stared down the two approaching from the sides.

“And what does where it came from have to do with it?” she asked, and Derek glared up at the two whose breath was still steaming from their masks, looking down at them stonily, which was just as creepy as it would be if they were actually attacking.

“Because of where it is. There was always rumours of a temple in Mexico, buried under the ruins of a destroyed town. See Berserkers were so dangerous that the various powers that be joined forces and helped hunt them all down, leaving only a few isolated colonies. One of them was locked in the temple beneath the town in Mexico, and they were different from other Berserkers.” He explained, and Ethan backed up a little as the two Berserkers at the side were now slowly beginning to stalk towards them while the ones at the top of the incline contemplated charging.

“How were they different, and more importantly, how do we stop them shish kebabing us?” he demanded worriedly, and Derek sighed.

“Whatever the town was before it was destroyed, it was built on honour, a sort of military honour hierarchy. The Berserkers in that town always worked in twos. And they always left with a commander, someone in charge of the group, which meant they required an honour guard. An honour guard is made of six.” Derek explained and Aiden let out a low growl.

“Wait, are you telling me there’s still two of these brutes out there and they’re reporting to someone?” he demanded as the approaching Berserker raised the blade it had sprouting from its wrist, clearly about to attack.

“Most likely.” Derek said, his voice tense as the other two started descending the slope, their bear skulls glinting white in the darkness as Braeden raised her weapon and the twins prepared to attack.

“How do you know so much about these things anyway?” Braeden demanded, and Derek smiled grimly.

“Well when Scott started catching the Callaveras, and since I was locked up with so much time on my hands, I started reading about where they came from. And guess what? The place where the Callaveras are based, their village that they own by the way…is virtually right next door to the temple that these Berserkers came from. And we…we’re just that lucky” he said in grim amusement, and Braeden sighed.

“This is a regular thing for you guys?” she demanded as the other two Berserkers reached their level and Derek sighed.

“Sadly, yeah.” He admitted, and Aiden, whose back was now up against Braeden’s, let out a small noise of fear as the Berserker he was marking extended a long, bloody claw.

“Do we have a plan?” he asked hopefully, and Derek gnawed his lip.

“I’ve got the start of one anyway, and all we need to do is hope we don’t get killed.” He admitted, and the twins growled as Braeden tensed up, and as the Berserkers made their move, Derek allowed himself a small weary sigh.

And he had wanted to be free.

 

XX

 

Kate, who was observing four of her honour guard from further along the slope that the group had been about to climb, smirked as her four Berserkers surrounded the group and began to attack.

“Nice try Derek, but as long as I’m around…you’re not going anywhere.” She promised, her eyes flashing green while her remaining two Berserkers nodded eagerly.

 

XX

 

Scott and Isaac returned to the place where they had parked the bikes and cars, and he was surprised to see that another bike had suddenly appeared, which Isaac ran his eye over.

“It’s Braeden’s, she must be here too.” He said as Jackson and Danny came out of the trees, Danny shouldering his bow while Jackson looked around uncertainly, still bothered by that feeling.

“How did we all do?” Malia asked with interest as she and Stiles also returned, Stiles looking vaguely disturbed by his girlfriend, which led to him getting a curious look from Isaac.

“You know…beginning to see why you like guys, what she did to that family of squirrels she saw…poor little things will need a lifetime’s worth of counselling now, it wasn’t pretty.” He said, wincing a little as Isaac sniggered.

Lydia and Kira then arrived, looking exhausted.

“Well, we rounded up seven prisoners, not much, but it’s better than nothing.” Lydia said as she leaned against the front of one of the cars, and Stiles nodded

“Other than terrorising a family of squirrels,” he said waspishly, sending a dirty look at Malia, who tried and failed to look innocent, “we got four of them.”

“We took down five.” Danny added, looking worriedly at Jackson, who was drifting closer and closer to Scott fearfully.

“And so did we. Hey at least we helped right? Even if we don’t know if we were really helping.” Scott lamented, and Kira looked at him curiously.

“What do you mean?” she asked in concern, but she was saved from answering as Derek, Braeden and the twins barged into the clearing, all of them looking rather woebegone. The twins were covered in scrapes and cuts, and there was blood encrusted on Ethan’s side. Aiden had a long gash down his bare chest, his jacket the only thing covering his top half because his attacker had ripped open his top.

“What the hell happened to you guys?” Danny asked in alarm, rushing to Ethan and fussing over him, which despite the seriousness of the situation, made Ethan smile a little.

“Welcome back but, he’s right, you look like crap.” Stiles said to Derek, who had a beat up face and was walking with a slight limp, and Derek gave him the look of pure venom that, if he was being honest with himself, he had kind of missed.

“Hello to you too. We need to go.” He intoned to Scott, who opened his mouth to ask but Aiden shook his head, taking Scott’s shoulders.

“He’s right, we need to go, and blowing up Braeden’s gun will only have pissed them off. Delayed them a little sure, but pissed them off too.” He said intently, and Scott, who had been about to ask what the hell was going on, nodded.

“Ok sure, but what’s going on?” he asked, and a distant roar echoed through the woods which made the entire pack look at each other in alarm.

“Never mind we can catch up later.” Malia said and the pack all headed for their respective vehicles when Jackson, who had been standing beside Scott, suddenly grabbed Scott’s hand in alarm, his claws digging into him and making Scott let out a little roar of pain.

“Ow! What the hell did you do that for?” he demanded angrily, but seeing the look of sheer terror on Jackson’s face, he followed the direction of his beta’s gaze and he automatically took a step forward, pushing Jackson behind him protectively, and doing the same to Isaac who had joined them.

A set of glowing, sickly looking yellow eyes were in the shadows and were advancing towards them. And as Scott urgently scanned the threes, they weren’t the only eyes that were approaching, there were two pairs of glowing red eyes, vastly different from his own. There was a blue pair similar to Derek, the twins and Jackson’s. The ones that were glowing pure white were just as frightening as the yellow ones, and they were flanked by shining black orbs that were advancing towards them as the distant roars of fury got closer.

“Scott…it’s them. It’s him.” Jackson whispered in frantic terror, his claws digging into Scott’s hand and he could feel his pack tensing in fear behind him as the eyes approached.

“Him? Him who?” Derek asked, totally confused as to what was going on and why Jackson was so frightened.

Danny, who had been pushed behind Ethan for safety, looked grimly at his terrified best friend, looked at the glowing yellow eyes as the various people hidden in the shadows stalked towards them, the yellow ones clearly terrifying Jackson.

Only one person could do that to Jackson.

The name was like bile in his throat as he spat it out furiously.

“Agravaine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're heating up and only one chapter left of this episode (which will be started on Saturday since I'm graduating tomorrow) and next time is the most action packed of the lot, and includes a long awaited showdown!
> 
> Until then, kudos and comments are appreciated, head over to my page on fanfiction.net to vote in the poll and to my page on deviantart to see little character hints and the design of Scott and Isaac's painting sessions!
> 
> Enjoy and until next time!


	19. Episode 3: Revenant Part 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Various enemies clash with Scott's pack right in the middle, a showdown long in the making kicks off, and Melissa receives a surprise she totally wasnt expecting

Two-Pack II

 

The approaching glowing eyes stepped out of the shadows cast by the trees, and the pack finally got a look at Agravaine and his companions.

Agravaine, the one with the glowing yellow eyes, was clad in a long black leather trench coat, his black curly hair messy as his malicious gaze fixed on the group in delight, his fingers flexing as he strolled towards the group. The wind tugged at his coat, making it billow slightly as he approached, his messy curly hair disturbed by the wind as he fixed his eyes hungrily upon the pack.

Beside him was the tall, hulking brute with the pure glowing white eyes. Significantly taller than Agravaine, he had short scrub like hair, and his face was marked with a scar across his eye, and he had similar scars to accompany his Celtic tattoos on his bulging arms. His muscles were positively rippling and he was clad in a sleeveless vest which was covered with a bulletproof vest and he towered protectively beside Agravaine.

The one on the other side of Agravaine had the normal blue eyes of a killer, but there was something about her that made her seem…less threatening. While the others all radiated malice she did not however it was apparent that she was still a force to be reckoned with. She was clad in a suede jacket over a black top, with her brown hair falling about her worn face, but there was still a malice about her.

The two youngest members of the group were looking at the pack eagerly, their crimson eyes so different from Scott’s their eyes were just glowing balls of energy with no pupils in them. The older was taller and better built, his arms exposed and hair messy, and he had tally marks all across his arms, and was nearly as much of a powerhouse as the tall hulking one beside Thane. Beside him was a younger version, clad all in black with slightly neater lighter hair, who was less well built but still dangerous looking, his rigid form clearly able to make up for his lack of muscle.

The last two, the ones with the sightless glowing black eyes stood at either end of the procession. The man looked dirty and grimy, but was muscular and strong looking, with a goatee and a scar above his eyebrow. The other one had long brown hair that was tied back from her head, with tramlines cut into her hair, giving her a much more dangerous look than she would otherwise have.

“You spoiled my entrance.” Agravaine chided as he swept into the clearing, his eyes dancing with malice, and Danny glowered at him, his hand twitching to go for his bow, but Ethan gently placed a finger on his hand, preventing him from firing an arrow into the man who had tortured his best friend.

“I take it you’re Agravaine.” Scott bit out, Derek looking around in confusion, clearly he had missed a lot recently, but while he did want to know what the hell all this was about, he would really rather find out when he was away from the prison which he had just escaped from and more importantly, away from the damn Berserkers which would soon be coming after them who would be in an even less friendly mood than they had been a few minutes before.

“In the flesh. Scott McCall, we meet at last. I am indeed Agravaine.” Agravaine said, and to the surprise of everyone present, including his own pack, he offered his hand to Scott, who looked at it in mistrust before contenting himself with glowering at the leader of the new pack.

Agravaine sighed a little and lowered his hand, raising a gleeful eyebrow at Scott.

“I see your mother didn’t teach you manners very well.” Agravaine hissed in his soft, melodic voice and Scott glowered at him, making sure Jackson (who was trembling a little) was safely behind him.

“Actually she did, she must have missed out the lesson on how to torture people though since you tortured Jackson.” He spat out and Agravaine allowed himself a small smirk.

“Ah I wondered how much you would find out about what transpired back in London. Am I not allowed to defend myself? He was part of another pack and he was in my territory.” He said simply, looking supremely unconcerned, but Jackson suddenly seemed to find his courage again, and raised his chin at his former tormentor defiantly.

“That’s a lie, your pack was moving all across the city!” he ground out, keeping the quiver in his voice to a minimum and there was a bark of laughter from the tall hulking brute whose gaze was fixed on Agravaine.

“What you don’t realise kid is that all of London belongs to us. We acted accordingly.” He purred, and Agravaine smiled, holding his hands up in mock apology.

“Of course how rude of me, I forgot to introduce my companions. That is Thane, beside him is dear Bonnie. Our husband and wife team over there are Eoghan and Ciara respectively, and our younger companions are Malakai and Rhyley. But Thane is correct, Jackson happened to stray into our territory, we were just acting as any decent creature would my boy.” Agravaine purred, and Scott chanced a look around the pack, and saw that, to his horror, despite the looks of hostility on some of their faces, some of them looked as though they were listening to Agravaine, or at the very least they looked sleepy.

“Really? So you torture him and that’s acting accordingly?” Scott spat out, and Agravaine chuckled as the seeming spell over the pack was broken.

“I’m afraid so.” He said simply, and Scott looked at him in distaste, before briefly sending a glance to Stiles, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod in response.

“Why did you torture him, and why the hell should we let you away with it?” Danny spat angrily, wanting nothing more than to stick an arrow between Agravaine’s eyes, and the leader of this new pack flicked his eyes towards Danny, registering him with some amusement.

“Well quite frankly dear boy, because you don’t have a choice. You see, when I heard about the so called True Alpha, I had to come and see for myself. You see Scott, you do not yet realise your true importance. You have no idea of what chaos your very existence could bring to the world. That’s why I’m here Scott. I’m here for you.” He said, with a vaguely alarming trace of longing in his voice and Isaac let out a territorial growl and the twins moved forward a little at this perceived threat to their Alpha, making Agravaine smile wryly, while the rest of his group chuckled.

“Thanks, but I have a boyfriend and I’m really not interested in anything you might have to offer.” Scott growled and Agravaine chuckled.

“Not entirely my boy. But you’ll see. After all, I’m going nowhere. We need one another Scott. Between us, we can do great things. Very great things.” Agravaine purred, and Scott had to admit he was good, the entire pack was hanging on his every word, some of them even looking a little mesmerised. The guy was good, and his soft, melodic voice was almost hypnotic, and Scott could see that he would need to break this little spell he was casting over his pack.

Scott gave an angry snarl that made a slightly surprised Agravaine step back, beholding the Alpha’s glowing red eyes as the rest of the pack seemed to clear their heads, shaking off the alluring effects of Agravaine’s voice.

“Sorry, but the only great things I’m interested in doing are managing to pass my exams and have a good season at lacrosse. I don’t know what you want here, but you came here, tortured Jackson, and unless I miss my guess…you’re the one who conjured the revenants and the whists. Am I right?” Scott challenged and all lingering traces of Agravaine’s power over the pack were broken, for, as one, the entire pack snarled, or in some cases, glared or twitched for weapons at the accusation, and Agravaine, while he did look slightly shocked (if he was being unkind, Derek suspected he knew why Agravaine was a bit shocked, after all, Scott was never normally so on the ball as it were) he did allow himself an indulgent smile.

“Scott, you wound me with such an accusation. But intrigued by you though I am dear boy, and plans for you though I may have, that is not the only pie in which I have my finger. But yes Scott, I do have plans for you, great plans, and I’m afraid that the revenants and the whists were but a taste of what awaits you should you be foolish enough to defy me.” Agravaine growled, and while his voice didn’t change in pitch at all, the clarity of the threat was there for all to see and Jackson was backing up, looking intimidated as Agravaine’s minions started trying to circle the pack, their eyes beginning to glow their supernatural colours again.

“Yeah well…thanks and all…but stick your plans for me up your ass. NOW!” Scott roared and Stiles, Lydia and Danny threw their smoke grenades across the clearing, and the various wolves in the pack turned away and closed their eyes as the blasts went off, Agravaine and the others roaring in pain as the flashes blinded them and as smoke began to swirl around them, making them choke and cough.

“RUN!” Scott ordered, knowing that without knowing a hell of a lot more about what they were dealing with there was no point in even trying to fight Agravaine and his pack and with that the entire pack wasted no time, heading for their various modes of transport.

“What have I missed?” Derek asked, completely at a loss of what was going on around here, as he leapt onto the back of Braden’s bike as she gunned the engine.

“Rather a lot, hold on!” she commanded as the bike blazed into action as various other engines started with a roar, leaving a snarling group of enemies choking in the dust as the cars and bikes made their escape.

“Well…that went well.” Bonnie commented with a small smile, and Agravaine chuckled.

“Of course it did, after all, it would be no fun if they just rolled over for us. Well my friends…fetch!” he barked, and with a ferocious snarl, the seven pack members transformed.

Bonnie’s transformation was first to finish. Leaping through the air, she gradually transitioned and by the time she had landed she had turned into a ferocious looking black and white collie, her eyes glowing an icy blue as she snarled, saliva dripping from her jaws as she waited for the others to finish their transformations.

Thane, despite his big size, was also a speedy transformation. With a savage snarl he got on all fours, growling as his face became covered in fur, his snout extending and vicious fangs emerging into his snout as he became a large black dog, slightly bigger than the twin’s motorbikes, his eyes glowing white and merciless as he barked and bayed, a large monstrosity of a dog, his black fur matted and dirty, his heckles raised, the scars present on his human form just as obvious in his beast form..

Eoghan and Ciara exchanged their usual fond look before howling angrily, their bodies doubling in size in Eoghan’s case and tripling in Ciara’s. Their shoulders became broad, long lethal claws extended from their rapidly growing paws, their eyes glowing their remorseless black (Eoghan’s had a white scar over one of his eyes), covered in dark black fur. Unlike Thane and Bonnie, their faces were not dog like at all, but were instead more similar to a bats, the pale, wrinkled skin with the large slit like nose emerging from the black fur. Their ears pointed and unlike Thane who already had muscles before he transformed, Ciara was now much more muscular and powerful looking, her claws ragged, sharp and vicious. Eoghan’s size was slightly bigger and his beast form was a rippling mass of muscle and power, saliva flying from his open jaws as he barked angrily, his long claws digging into the dirt as Ciara nuzzled him a little before the two of them snarled angrily at the vanishing vehicles.

Malakai and Rhyley sprang into the air, the moon shining down on them as they transformed. Their skin came disintegrating off and when they landed on all fours, they were the most frightening dogs yet. Their canine skeleton was shining through a thin, flimsy layer of pure white, almost transparent skin, so much so that they looked see through, like ghosts, though Malakai’s tally marks could be seen glowing black on his skin. White flames seemed to flicker along the backs of their legs and off the back of their heads like a mane, and also making up their tail. Their face was now a long and pointed snout, their mad eyes a glowing, sinister red, their spectral forms slightly illuminating the glade in an eerie approximation of light as their long bodies, which were longer though much less well built than the others (other than Bonnie) and the saliva dripping from their mouths hissed and spat as it fell to the ground.

Agravaine snarled, his poisonous eyes glowing mercilessly as he too transformed. Short black fur erupted all over his body as he too transformed into a colossal black dog, much larger than anyone else in the pack, including the large Thane and the muscular Eoghan. Becoming broader and sturdier, he snarled as black protrusions of bone erupted all down his spine and two curled horns erupted from where a dog’s ears would be, curving down to face his rapidly changing maw. He had a shorter tail than the others but he was built like a tank, his face becoming like a bulldog’s, his noxious eyes glowing from the centre of his skull. His chest however was glowing with a sickly green and yellow aura, illuminating his thick ribs, a swirling ball of fire glowing in his chest. His mouth was large and wide, lethal looking fangs ringing the inside of his mouth, green, spectral saliva dripping from his exposed gums as he snarled, creating little smouldering bits of earth where the drops fell. Torches of poisoned looking fire were belching out from the sides of his mouth, as if he was biting down on fire itself, smoke rising around his curved horns, the flames emanating from his mouth but not harming him. He then reared his back and gave a baying howl, raised his heckles and with eerie, malicious howls and barks, the entire Ghost Pack set off after the pack, barking furiously as they pursued their prey.

 

XX

 

Hollis’ eyes snapped open as he heard the distant sounds of Agravaine’s barking on the wind. The monster was in his true form. There was blood to be spilt.

With a vicious screech, Hollis transformed and swept into the night, determined to settle his vendetta once and for all.

 

XX

 

Slightly smoking and charred though they were, the Berserkers were all but unharmed. Except now they were incredibly angry, and Kate for one, wasn’t inclined to stop them.

“Alright boys, go get them. But remember…the Alpha survives, even if you have to save him to make sure of it.” Kate ordered and her four hulking advance guard members dashed into the woods, their bone swords in hand.

One of her two remaining guards turned to her and grunted something to her, and she smiled.

“You’re right. Shall we boys?” she asked, heading back for her small truck, her eyes glowing green as the chase began.

 

XX

 

The vehicles blazed out of the forest, determined to escape from Agravaine and his pack. However as Scott drove his bike away, Jackson’s claws digging into his sides slightly in fear, he heard a vicious and angry barking, and looking back, he could see seven monstrous dogs chasing after them, their eyes wide and mad, spittle foaming from their mouths as they pursued their prey. Jackson growled defensively, his eyes shining blue as Scott led the pack vehicles blazing out from the last of the trees, cutting into the motorway, the ferocious dogs leaping out of the trees, barking angrily as they tried to run them down.

Aiden swore as Eoghan came charging towards him, the brute slamming into the side of his bike. Swerving the bike the twin struggled to keep control but barely managed to regain it just before his bike ploughed into the barrier between the two lanes, and he started zig zagging, however Eoghan’s hot breath was on the back of his legs as the monstrous dog tried to hammer him off the road. Ethan then blazed up the road beside him, directing his bike one handed and ripping into Eoghan’s side with his claws.

The large beast howled and Aiden accelerated away from his pursuer, but he realised in a split second of panic that Ethan was now at his mercy and Eohan gave a snarl and slammed his side into Ethan’s bike. Ethan looked at Aiden in panic and Aiden was about to turn back and help his twin when an arrow embedded itself in Eoghan’s shoulder, making him howl in pain and send him into a tumbling roll over the mostly deserted motorway (most of it having been shut to accommodate the emergency vehicles heading to the prison). Aiden breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at Danny who readied another arrow.

Scott was still in the lead, blazing up the now closed motorway, and to his dismay he could see that several cars that had been trapped on the motorway when the riot had begun were now all up ahead, blocking the progress of the pack. Biting his lip and trying to ignore the booming barks of Agravaine he briefly considered his options before he gunned his engine, crossing at the access and crossed into the other side of the motorway, the other bikes and the two cars following him as he did so, Jackson yelling in fright as an armoured car on its way to the prison honked its horn, missing them by about two inches. Thane on the other hand, who had been right behind them, was not quite so fortunate and the hulking brute of a dog was hammered in the side, sending him flying through the air, giving Scott and Jackson a much needed reprieve as they blazed up the road in the wrong direction, weaving in between the oncoming cars, the speed at which they were travelling enough to force them to pull into the side to allow them through.

Bonnie leapt through the air, landing on the back of Lydia’s car, making Lydia scream in fright as she saw the gleaming white fangs of the dog in her rearview.

“I’ll handle her.” Danny said, but Kira, in the passenger seat, reached back and laid a hand on his wrist.

“No, I will.” She said dangerously, her eyes glowing dangerously, and to Lydia’s surprise she pulled herself up onto the roof of the car, sword drawn as Lydia followed Scott who knew where.

Bonnie pulled herself up onto the roof her heckles raised, growling at Kira who planted her feet to avoid being knocked off the car as Lydia weaved through the few drivers who weren’t savvy enough to move out of the way as they approached, and then thrust with her sword, making Bonnie snarl as she recoiled from the attack. Kira’s eyes were glowing amber, daring the dog to attack her, but it was the cry from inside as one of the foul skeletal boys leapt up the front of the car, his glowing red eyes boring into Kira’s back, saliva dripping from his gums and making Lydia’s windscreen sizzle and spit as he stalked to the top of the car.

Bonnie on one side, and judging by the tally marks on his skin, Malakai on the other, Kira looked nervously at the two dogs as they leapt as one, their teeth going for her throat. And it was then that dazzling electricity arced out from her, sending the two dogs whimpering away, their smoking bodies crashing into the road, forcing Braeden to swerve around them as Kira pulled herself back into the car.

“That, was awesome.” Danny said breathlessly and Kira grinned, pleased that her foxfire had worked.

Agravaine was right behind Derek and Braeden, both of them choking on the noxious fumes spluttering out of his mouth as he closed in, his vicious claws and jaws ready to tear them asunder.

“I’m really hoping Scott has a plan here!” Braeden called as Scott led them off the road onto a dirt track, hearing Stiles swearing from inside his jeep as he tried to shake Ciara.

“Probably not. Look maggot breath, get lost!” Derek snarled, swiping at Agravaine who, despite being a dog, chuckled darkly, before firing a globule of burning fire at the two of them, making him yelp in shock, Braeden almost losing control as she accelerated in order to get away from the leader of the pack.

Scott winced as Rhyley was catching up with them, and Thane had also returned after being temporarily removed, and now all seven dogs were right on the pack’s tail right again as they blazed through the midnight trails, shellshocking a flock of sheep and a solitary deer as they crashed through the countryside, determined to try and escape the dogs that were after them. Rhyley was alongside them, and Thane was rapidly closing in on them, his breath warming the back of Jackson’s legs as he prepared to sink his teeth into his flesh.

“Drive faster!” Jackson urged as Rhyley barked, making both of them yelp in shock as his saliva burned through their clothes as the monstrous dog tried to get close to them.

“Well you could help, swipe at them or something!” Scott ordered as he narrowly avoided a rabbit, which Jackson rolled his eyes in response to, typical, they were being chased by murderous dogs and he was more concerned about the damned rabbit than he was about the people chasing them and trying to kill them.

Jackson then swiped at Rhyley, and to his alarm, his hand suddenly felt like it had been dropped in ice water as, upon contact, his hand went completely cold as his claws passed right through Rhyley’s side.

“What the hell is he, some sort of ghost?” Scott asked as Jackson gasped at the sudden cold his hand felt, his hand shaking, and that arm was already a state because of whatever was turning it black.

“No idea. Get, lost!” he roared, and scratched Thane’s muzzle, making the dog bark in sudden pain which gave Scott the chance they needed to edge in front as Rhyley had briefly hesitated.

Despite this, the pack was still being pursued by the rabid dogs, and they were rapidly running out of room to manoeuvre as the path Scott had led them down was about to lead them into the town, and once they were in the middle of the town, even at night, it would be a lot harder to avoid the dogs than it otherwise would be.

In the jeep, which was close to losing its suspension with all the bouncing around it was doing, Malia was looking into the mirror to see that Ciara was being very stubborn.

“Can’t you do anything about her?” Stiles demanded of Isaac who glowered at him and once again put himself out of the sun roof, angling his bow to send an arrow blasting into her.

Ciara growled in rage as the arrow embedded in her shoulder, her black eyes smouldering as she slammed into the back of the jeep, nearly driving them off the road, and to Isaac’s alarm, Malakai who had recovered from Kira’s foxfire and he too was now baring down on them.

“You know, I think I pissed her off, and now she has a friend with her too.” He complained, and fired an arrow at Malakai, and to his great surprise, it just went straight through as though he was a ghost.

“See, now that ain’t right.” He complained pulling himself back into the jeep as they trundled off the trail and into the town, the bikes and cars roaring along the road, speed cameras flashing left right and centre as they blazed through towards the town centre, pedestrians scattering in fright as the convoy of vehicles and monsters thundered past the.

“If some idiot is crossing the road…” Stiles said worriedly as Agravaine appeared to be moving towards the front of the crowd of their pursuers, all of them moving too fast to be able to stop in time.

The twins were barely holding on as Eoghan was alternating between the two bikes, slamming them with all his might to try and drive them off the road, the twins knuckles white as they held on for grim life. Ciara’s claws were about to rip a hole into Stiles’ tyres, and he too was swerving as the dogs upped their attack, Isaac snarling at her as he tried to shoot her with another arrow. Bonnie had returned and she had replaced Agravaine, her jaws ripping open the back of Derek’s leg as the group blazed through the town, Braeden’s control faltering as Derek stuck his claws into her side by reflex. Thane was hammering into Lydia’s car, ignoring Kira and Danny’s attempts to dissuade him with their weapons and Malakai and Rhyley were blockading a frantic Scott, Jackson hissing through his teeth as the dogs started to gain the upper hand.

And it was then that Agravaine gave an echoing bark, which sounded more like a roar, and sprang a good distance up the street, and a ball of noxious fire erupted from his mouth, slamming into the road and spreading like wildfire, blocking the pack’s progress with a ring of fire.

Scott slammed on his breaks, but he’d had to stop so suddenly that both he and Jackson were catapulted off the bike, crashing and rolling along the ground, wincing in pain. Seeing their Alpha fall, and the blazing ring of fire, the twins angled their bikes, both of them scratching along the ground hard enough to send a spray of sparks into the air and knocking the twins off as their bikes slid to a stop. The two cars screeched to a halt, the screams of the brakes hurting all their ears as they went dead, both cars steaming in protest at their treatment as the various other pack members clambered out, clustering around Scott as he glared at the ring of fire, which Agravaine, in his dog form, walked into from the other side before transforming back into his human form halfway through the flames, his eyes a burning yellow.

“A thrilling chase my boy, most engaging. But now, your race is run. And my little friends, I fear you are at our mercy.” He purred as the rest of his pack transformed and started stalking towards the pack, caught between a ring of fire and Agravaine’s minions.

 

XX

 

“Still nothing?” Garrett asked as he and Liam stood outside Lunar, Liam looking at his phone, looking kind of downbeat, and despite being one of his best friends, Garrett couldn’t figure if Liam was bummed because he seemed to have been lied to again, because Kira wasn’t here, or because Scott who he really seemed to look up to had let him down.

All he did know was that he was going to kick Scott’s ass when he got a hold of him.

“Nothing.” Liam said, trying and failing not to look hurt, and Garrett sighed, wrapping his arm around him.

“Aww buddy, he’s just a jerk, even if he is team captain. Besides, you’re still vice-captain, you don’t need him to like you anymore.” He said, then winced a little as Liam looked at him sadly, after what had happened at Davenport with all the others, he knew Liam wanted everyone to like him, because somehow he figured that meant he wouldn’t get hurt.

“I think he does though, and yeah, I woke him and Isaac up but still, he said he was coming. He doesn’t seem like a twat, you know, like how you seem.” Liam mumbled, though he did smirk slightly at the affronted look on Garrett’s face.

Before he could respond however, Mason came out, grinning from ear to ear, and promptly waved his middle finger in Garrett’s face, and he sighed and exchanged a look and a nod with Liam, there was only one thing that could make him this happy.

“Let me guess…you got a guy’s number without him being much more interested in your hot blond friend?” Garrett asked in amusement, and Mason grinned.

“Sure did. And he didn’t even ask about you or sir cute a lot here.” He said smugly, leaning happily against the wall, making Liam shake his head hopelessly.

“You’re far too happy that he didn’t ask about us when the reason is he probably didn’t see us.” He pointed out, and Mason stuck his fingers in his ears and started going ‘la-la-la’ which only made the other two sigh in defeat.

“Wait, hang on, you’re giving up too easily, we normally list reasons why you or Garrett would score a number quicker than me even when I get one.” Mason said, frowning a little and taking his fingers out of his ears.

“Scott hasn’t shown up, and as a result, Kira hasn’t either. I can’t figure out which he’s more bothered by. And because he’s sweet and naïve, he doesn’t realise that Scott’s just a jerk who doesn’t care.” Garrett said with a sigh, but despite the fact that he believed that Mason would back him up, Mason instead frowned, looking at their slightly younger friend with a frown on his face.

“Scott said he was coming didn’t he?” he asked, and Liam nodded, biting his lip.

Odd though it was, and despite the fact that he hardly knew Scott, he knew Scott just wasn’t like that. And the fact that Scott hadn’t even called or anything made him uneasy, that was all.

“Wait, we barely know the guy!” Garrett protested, but Liam shrugged.

“Yeah true but, he just doesn’t seem like that. And with the prison break going on, well, what if something happened, what if something’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, and Garrett was about to look at him incredulously when he sighed.

He knew Liam was a lot kinder and more compassionate than he was. Having grown up in the orphanage, he’d become rather hardened to the world. Mason was less hardened, but he was much more akin to Liam in his sympathies, actions and beliefs. And Liam…well there was a reason his mother called him a puppy.

“Alright, fine, whatever you’re after, I’ll come along, if only to make sure you don’t get yourself into trouble like you usually do.” He sighed patiently and Liam and Mason grinned at each other.

“Thanks Garrett. But, hey, I resent that, trouble usually finds me.” Liam complained, trying to call Scott again, and Mason leaned towards Garrett with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah and that’s nothing to do with your fiery temper at all.” He whispered and Garrett snorted in amusement.

“Still no answer.” Liam complained, and Mason laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Look dude, I get that you’re worried but they all hang out in their own little clique thing, we’re just the new outsiders. Let’s go back inside, you can watch impotently as Garrett and I pull.” He offered, and Liam scowled at him.

“I can pull if I want to, but I’m worried, there’s a prison break on and considering what happened to that Allison girl Scott knew…wait, is that fire?” he asked, suddenly distracted from his line of thought.

Mason and Garrett both looked in the same direction he was looking, and both of them frowned as they saw smoke swirling into the air.

“Yeah, but that can’t be right, it looks like it’s coming from the middle of the street.” Garrett pointed out, making Liam frown.

“We should check it out.” He reasoned, and the other two looked at him as if he were mad.

“Um, why?” Mason asked, and Liam fixed him with his puppy dog eyes, looking at him pleadingly.

“We need to make sure no one’s hurt. Come on!” he wheedled, setting off and the other two exchanged hopeless glances as they sighed and reluctantly followed in his wake.

 

XX

 

Scott backed away as Agravaine approached from the flames, raising his hands slightly to protectively cover both Isaac and Jackson, his eyes glowing red as the entire pack clustered together, all of them looking apprehensively at the circling pack of dogs.

The fire had curved in a large arc in front of them, cutting off their escape that way, and the dogs were behind them, blocking their way back. On top of that the two small alleyways wouldn’t get them far, and as the dogs could clearly transform into an animal form, it would give them an advantage and allow them to pick the pack off one by one if they made a break for them.

“Your race is run Scott. Now, you and I are going to have a little chat. We can be great allies you and I.” Agravaine purred in his melodic voice, and Scott growled threateningly at him.

“Already told you, not interested.” Scott snarled, and Agravaine allowed himself a small chuckle as his pack guffawed around him.

“You might be. You see, as you can tell by what I did to Jackson, I have been planning this for quite some time. Hostility will not serve you…or him.” Agravaine said simply, pointing a gnarled finger at Jackson, who flinched as he did so.

“What do you mean?” he demanded, and Thane laughed, his breath deep and wheezing.

“Don’t you know? We marked you, and Agravaine, well…he always likes to get up close and personal with his unfortunate victims.” He explained, but Lydia looked at the hulking brute curiously, it was like there was a slight hint of longing in his voice as he said it.

“What did you do to me?” Jackson demanded, his voice breaking in fear, clearing afraid of the worst, and Agravaine laughed.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t do that…though the possibility was there,” Agravaine whispered, licking his lips and the twins snarled at him angrily as Scott let out a threatening growl while Jackson looked worriedly at their opponent, “but no, that’s not what I meant. Haven’t you noticed your arm?” he asked callously, and Jackson unconsciously flexed it, and Agravaine made a small noise of amusement.

“Yes dear boy, your arm. As you can see, I have a special talent shall we say, with fire. That fire is now burning your arm from the inside out, and will very slowly and very painfully, spread like a poison throughout your entire body until you burn to death from the inside out.” Agravaine explained as if he were commenting on the weather.

“Wait, what, you poisoned me?” Jackson roared angrily, and Agravaine shrugged.

“Well, I need to ensure you and your Alpha’s cooperation. And now that I have your undivided attention, we can get to business. I have need of you Scott, and as I hold the life of your little friend Jackson in my hand, and have a stranglehold over this town which will soon become readily apparent, you would do well to listen to me boy. Now, little Alpha pup…”

“Fix Jackson.” Scott ground out, and Agravaine snorted derisively.

“Really? Not until you’ve heard me out Scott, and considering my information points to you being quite stubborn at times, well, poor Jackson might be dead by then mightn’t he?” Agravaine asked with a hint of menace.

Scott looked at Jackson worriedly, this was bad. Agravaine had poisoned him somehow, they didn’t know how or with what and hence they had no possible way of fighting it either, which didn’t bode well for any of them.

“What do you want?” Scott asked irritably, not able to figure out a way around this and Agravaine smiled.

“I want many things Scott, all of which involve you. You see, my pack and I have a problem that started as a nuisance, but has now become something of a hindrance. Now, while I am more than capable of dealing with this problem all by my lonesome, your help would be most appreciated.” Agravaine said simply, and Ethan looked at his twin.

“Haven’t we been down this road before?” he asked, and Aiden sniggered.

“So, you want my help, but to get it, you poison one of my pack? That’s really using your brains.” Scott said with a scowl, and Agravaine gave him a small smile.

“But there is so much more at stake here dear boy. You see, you don’t realise how important you are, what forces are now in play since you have moved out of the shadows. I can help you. Powerful forces will soon be at play, and you will be at the centre of them all. We are natural allies Scott, you would do well to join with me.” Agravaine told him, and Scott looked at the leader of the other pack suspiciously.

He was very eager to get his allegiance, but by telling Scott all this he wasn’t giving any hints as to why he wanted Scott to join forces with him. If, as he said, he was more than capable of dealing with whatever this problem was that he had, why would he be so keen to join forces with him? There had to be more to this because he wouldn’t go to such lengths just to ensure Scott would listen to him if he didn’t stand to get a massive payoff at the end of it, but that begged the question, what the hell was he after?

“Really? I get that you want my help, and that you think it would help me to join forces with you, but what else do I get out of it?” Scott challenged and Agravaine exchanged an amused look with the rest of his pack before he ignited that acrid fire from his fingers again, looking with dark, malicious amusement at the young Alpha.

“Well, for a start, if you play ball, I wont destroy your entire pack and everybody you hold dear, but that’s just for starters. You see Scott, regardless of my little nuisance, I will have your allegiance.” He vowed, his eyes glowing sickly yellow once again and looking into his eyes, Scott saw a flash of pure evil, the sort belonging to the Nogitsune or to Deucalion, run through his eyes and Scott silently suppressed a shudder.

Agravaine wanted something more than he was letting on, and Scott, whether because he was the Alpha or the True Alpha, was the key to having it, and it didn’t seem like he was going to even consider backing down until he got whatever the hell it was he was after.

Agravaine then paused, as if he heard something, the fireball in his hand burning and polluting the air with acrid smoke and he raised his voice to issue a challenge.

“Care to join us?” he asked, his eyes glinting with malice as one of his ghost like hounds vanished up the side street.

 

XX

 

“Well it doesn’t look like a building is on fire, but I was right, it’s coming from the middle of the street.” Garrett boasted as they made their way down the side street towards where they could see the smoke coming from.

“Yeah, which is very weird. Wait, look…that’s Scott and the others!” Mason gasped in surprise as they reached the point where they could see the main street.

Liam looked in the direction his friend was pointing, and rather than feeling vindicated (since he was right because the others were in trouble) he instead felt a mind numbing terror.

Scott and his entire group of friends were captured in the middle of the half ring of fire, Scott standing protectively in front of Isaac and a scared looking Jackson. The twins had drifted to protect Danny and Lydia respectively (to their great surprise, Danny had a bow aimed at the one who seemed to be doing the talking, and Isaac had another one on his back), while Kira was standing beside Malia, who Stiles was holding back, while Kira had a sword in her hand, glaring at these people who were keeping them there.

There were seven of them, one guarding each alley that the group could escape down, and the other four keeping the group from retreating while their leader said his piece. But most astonishing of all was the fireball he had in his hand as he threatened Scott.

“Care to join us?” he asked suddenly, and Garrett’s eyes bulged in panic as he realised that this guy knew they were there but as he grabbed Mason and Liam in order to drag them backwards away from this maniac who had the fire coming out of his damn hands for crying out loud, one of the younger members of the fire holding guy’s group darted into the wall. A second later, he emerged from the wall, he actually walked through the wall and stood behind them, his eyes glowing a shining red which stopped Garrett’s plan in its tracks as he advanced menacingly, Garrett forcing Mason and Liam behind him and forcing them along the alley out into the open.

A guy who was holding a fireball, and a guy with glowing red jewel like eyes, what the hell was going on around here?

“Liam…leave them alone Agravaine!” Scott demanded, and it seemed as if the entire pack suddenly got over its fear of the situation as they tensed up, ready to protect the three kids, who, until now, were mercifully free of the supernatural.

“Scott, what’s going on?” Liam asked in a shaking voice, his eyes widening in surprise as Isaac flicked his wrists and two ring ended daggers slid into his open hands.

Mason looked around them in horror, the seven people who were blocking the group in with the steaming vehicles were one thing, but the weapons now appearing in the hands of people they knew, that was something different. Kira flourished her sword, Lydia revealed a large tazer, Isaac had his knives and the twins looked ready to pounce as Stiles flexed a gauntlet with metal claw like fingers that looked more than lethal on its own. The woman behind them had developed a shotgun from somewhere and the guy beside her looked ready to kill as well. And at the front of the group, the three younger kids saw Scott take a defiant step forward, a deadly growl escaping from him.

“They’re not part of this Agravaine, let them go.” Scott demanded, his claws slowly starting to extend, and Agravaine laughed mockingly, his pack doing the same.

“Oh can this be true? These three, little Liam, sweet Mason and stubborn Garrett, three good friends who have come into your orbit…and they don’t even know what they’re becoming?” Agravaine asked smugly, and the three younger kids looked around curiously as Scott’s back edged in to protect them.

“They’re not part of this.” Scott insisted, his eyes glowing red as the pack clustered around Liam, Garrett and Mason.

“Oh but they are Scott, they’re becoming part of your pack even if they don’t even know what that means. Tell them why don’t you?” Agravaine challenged darkly, and Scott snarled angrily, making the three younger kids look at him in alarm, that noise certainly wasn’t human.

“Ok, what the hell is going on? Scott?” Liam demanded and the Alpha turned to face the younger kid, his eyes glowing red, his fangs lengthening, his nails replaced by claws.

“Oh my god…” Mason breathed as he beheld Scott in his wolf form.

“Hey, we’re the good guys. Well, Scott is, we’re kind of works in progress.” Ethan said, his eyes now shining blue.

“What the hell is going on, what are you?” Garrett demanded in fright, and Lydia sighed.

“Scott, Isaac, the twins, Jackson and Derek are all werewolves, Braeden there is a druid, Kira is a kitsune, Malia is a coyote, I’m a banshee…and Stiles is a…well he’s a Stiles.” She finished lamely, and Kira readied her sword.

“We also have no idea what they all are.” She said, preparing to strike and Agravaine laughed.

“Well this is interesting isn’t it? Well lads, you’ve just met the supernatural, and as your valiant little Alpha isn’t doing me the decency of listening to me, I think it’s time we bring an end to these proceedings! Shall we?” he roared and his pack gave an affirmative bark.

“Try it!” Scott spat, his pack roaring in support as they prepared to fight.

“What the hell is going on, oh god…” Mason breathed and Scott turned to Jackson and Malia, who were both snarling angrily.

“Protect these three.” He ordered, and gave a savage roar and was about to leap at Agravaine when a screech pierced the air, Agravaine giving an irritated snarl as he did so and looked up to see the owlman standing silhouetted in the moonlight on the building above them.

“Dear Hollis, how pleasant of you to join us.” He purred, the malice in his voice showing anything but pleasure.

“That’s what attacked you!” Lydia exclaimed, and Scott and Stiles exchanged a weary glance.

“Seriously, an owlman now?” Stiles demanded, gesturing wildly and Scott couldn’t help but agree.

“Agravaine. This ends tonight!” Hollis screeched, extending his wings and preparing to swoop down on them.

“I’m a little too busy for our usual rigmarole but if you insist, I can turn you into fried chicken!” Agravaine growled as his pack snarled, and the pack were foolishly beginning to hope that they might get out of this when Derek looked above them to see if there was an escape that way to see a woman wielding a whip hanging right above them, her exposed neck glowing faintly, her tattered dress stirring in the wind just like her white hair.

“What the hell is that?” he demanded and Lydia looked up to see what he was talking about.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me!” she spat as the Pombero somersaulted off the roof and landed catlike on the ground, her whip in hand, smiling menacingly as she advanced upon the pack.

“You guys have been busy while I was in prison.” Derek commented, and Garrett turned and looked at him in alarm.

“Wait you were in the prison break?” he demanded weakly as Ethan suddenly started tapping Aiden’s shoulder urgently, making frantic noises in his throat.

“For goodness…what Ethan?” Aiden snapped, turning to his brother who was slightly behind him and his brother merely pointed to the four hulking masses coming towards them.

“Oh shit the Berserkers are back.” He muttered weakly, and Scott looked at the four hulking brutes coming towards them, drawing their long, curved swords of bone from the holsters on their back.

“That’s what you guys fought? Agravaine…” he began but to his great surprise the leader of the pack was looking at the Berserkers with just as much surprise as he was, a surprise shared by the rest of his pack.

“They’re not mine.” He insisted and whistled, and they could hear the distant sounds of dogs barking in response, and a few wolf roars, meaning he had summoned the whists and revenants, which was the last thing they needed.

Scott was about to order Liam and the others to stay back when a bullet lanced over their heads, the bang echoing in their ears, and Braeden turned in anger to see several commandeered police cars, each of them disgorging orange clad members of the Callavera clan, all of whom were wielding guns, all of them looking at them with the excitement that preceded murder.

“Well isn’t this a pretty picture? A wolf pack and a dog pack, along with a few other choice morsels all in one place…don’t worry pooches, the wolves dies first for Araya, for putting us in prison, and, well, because we’ve been cooped up for so long, we just feel like it. We’ll look for La Loba later, first, every one of you…dies!” the leader spat as one of his companions pointed to the Berserkers, one of which had turned his attention onto them.

“The Aztecas…” the leader gasped, and Derek grimaced, yeah, if the Callaveras recognised their local branch of Berserkers then they were definitely the ones they didn’t want them to be.

So…Agravaine and his pack of dogs, with whists and most likely the remaining revenants on their way. The Pombero. The Owlman. Four Azteca Berserkers. And to add to it all, the remainder of the Callavera clan, and the pack was stuck right in the middle of them all, with three terrified younger kids who were experiencing the supernatural for the first time in the centre of that.

What a fun night this was going to be.

 

XX

 

Above them, on a separate building from the Owlman who was obviously more concerned with Agravaine than anything else, Peter watched the show unfolding on ground level with a look of satisfaction on his face. Agravaine would do his part, and then he would be able to kill Scott, and once more become the Alpha. And if they failed to do so tonight, well, he had plenty of time.

“That’s it Agravaine, just subdue the boy and then I can finish him!” Peter urged, his eyes glinting as he looked down on the scene occurring on the ground, after all, as soon as someone looked at someone else funny the entire lot of them would start fighting and that would be it.

But he had to admit, the presence of Berserkers was something of a surprise. The Pombero, hunters and even the Owlman were all fairly obvious after all, but the Berserkers, he didn’t see why they were here, and worse, he also didn’t know whose side they were on.

The Azteca Berserkers were a powerful breed, so much so that an entire town of them existed which hunters refused to go into. Berserkers were powerful and deadly enemies, and their presence here was totally bizarre. It had nothing to do with the Callaveras, but someone or something powerful had to have earned their loyalty, they didn’t serve just anyone, or let just anyone survive a trip into their town. No, they were here for a reason, a reason he felt he needed to discover quickly.

And as he mused on the Berserkers which were rapidly approaching Scott’s trapped pack, it was then that he caught a brief scent on the wind, and as he breathed it in, it sent off all sorts of alarm bells in his head as various violent images flashed like lightning through his mind. Fire, screaming, burning, taunting laughter, being trapped in his own head while he drove himself crazy, killing Laura, becoming the Alpha like he always should have been…

Only one person could bring out such emotions for him, and the fact that he was feeling all this could only mean one thing.

Kate Argent was alive.

“Doesn’t anybody in this town ever stay dead?” he demanded furiously, his eyes glowing blue as he turned to the doorway he had used to emerge onto the roof.

And to his great surprise, he saw two Berserkers staring at him silently, their swords in hand but not raised, flanking the entrance to the door. Well, this was certainly a turn up for the books. Kate was the one in charge of the Berserkers. Now just how had that happened?

“I could ask you the same thing Peter. Or, considering what I am now, should I perhaps call you _daddy_?” Kate’s unmistakable hiss of a voice said from the darkness of the stairwell, her eyes glowing green as she emerged from inside, her face covered in fur and claws extending as she sent Peter a predatory smile.

“Kate. Well, a nagual, I have to say, it suits you. Not sure about Fred and Barney there though, I don’t think they add much to your ambience.” Peter purred silkily as Kate smiled, her eyes flicking to her Berserkers.

“Don’t worry about them, they won’t do anything unless I tell them to, and luckily for you, I want the significant pleasure of ripping you to shreds myself.” She told him sweetly, arcing her legs in front of each other as she slowly stalked around the rooftop, Peter copying the movement, his eyes fixed on this monster he had unwittingly created.

“I hardly think we’re even yet Kate, after all, you killed my entire family, and you expect me to be sorry that I happened to turn you into a creature? Oh, does daddy not love you no more?” he asked and Kate smiled coyly.

“Quite the reverse. I always was the favourite after all. And please, I know you better than that Peter, we both know you didn’t give a spit about your family, the only thing you care about is yourself, your own power, and always has been and always will be.” She explained, and Peter affected a pout and put a hand over his heart.

“You wound me Kate, I did care about my family, but I do have to admit, with what you did to me my dear, well, I had start to have other interests. And now, I get that rarest of opportunities: a second chance to kill the one who destroyed my family.” He gloated, and Kate smirked, her fangs glowing white in the darkness.

“Not tonight Peter. Tonight, I get to kill my killer. You know what I really regret though? The fact that I didn’t do it right the first time and torch you like I did everyone else in that house.” She hissed, her eyes dancing with hatred, and Peter allowed himself a small, self-satisfied grin.

“Well look at it this way Kate, if you had, you wouldn’t be a member of a superior species, complete with ugly bodyguard actions figures like you are now. I made you Kate.” He insisted, and Kate shrugged, flexing her claws.

“Maybe you did. But then,” she said as she was now in the same position he had been when she had interrupted him, “I’m not the only one you made now am I?” she asked, her eyes flicking down to the predicament Scott and his friends were in.

Peter’s eyes widened and he let out a low snarl, Kate’s face turning into the very picture of delight.

“Ah, I knew it was about Scott. Let me guess…he snuffs it, you become the Alpha? Full points for originality I suppose, but then again, you Hales were never great thinkers, look at poor Derek down there, and the predicament I got him into.” She teased, and Peter’s eyes widened in surprise.

“So it was you…you framed him? How clever of you. And for the record, while my nephew is rather…I’ll be nice and say obtuse, my niece little better, I assure you that I am at the far superior end of the gene pool when it comes to brains. The fact that that is the plan is irrelevant.” He dismissed, and Kate snorted in amusement.

“Well sadly Peter, I’m gonna have to step in. See, I want Scott, which means you trying to kill him would cast kind of a damper on my plans.” She said conversationally, and Peter looked at her suspiciously.

“And what would you want with the little usurper? After all, kitty cats like your good self, no matter how much of a bitch they might be, can’t become Alphas, cats are solitary, so killing Scott won’t serve you in any way.” He reminded her and she rolled her eyes.

“I know that.” She told him, clearly insulted by his insinuation that she didn’t, but then his eyes lit up.

“Ah, the basest of all motives, well, other than my own,” he said with a cold smile, “you’re after revenge. After all, the Argents started going downhill as soon as our little friend down there showed up in your lives, you…were meant to have died, Victoria died and now Allison is being used by the Ghost Pack as she died once more fighting for the boy she loved. If you want him dead my dear all you need to do is ask, and I’ll happily share that toy.” He promised, and Kate grinned appreciatively.

“Thank you. But while revenge is a part of it, and I do want the little Alpha pup dead, I have much bigger plans than that, which I can’t carry out if you are trying to off him so you can get to be the biggest dog in the park again. So, for the time being, and loathe though I am to do it,” she sighed, extending her claws viciously as she prepared to pounce, “I’m going to have to protect Scott from you.”

Peter then laughed, before his eyes glowed icy blue and he extended his claws himself, looking at her pityingly.

“I can assure you that you don’t want to do this Kate. I’ve been working out so to speak.” He said darkly, and she looked at her two Berserkers.

“So have they, but I don’t need their help. You on the other hand do. All for a set of glowing red eyes, what’s wrong with contact lenses like everyone else? Oh did that annoy you…sorry…daddy.” She hissed and Peter gave a furious roar and sprang at her as she gave a sadistic hiss and the two rivals sprang at each other, claws going for each other’s throats.

Kate landed catlike on her feet, cutting upwards with her claws, going right for his jugular. Peter caught her wrist and gave a savage growl before heaving her over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground. As he plunged his claws down aiming for her stomach she rolled out of the way, her claws finding flesh and cutting his tendons before she sprang back to her feet, kicking him with as much strength as she could muster in his back, sending the werewolf staggering away from her.

Snarling angrily, Peter turned to face her, his expression livid as he made for her, his claws swinging. Kate was more agile than he was, but he was a hell of a lot stronger than she was. Jumping out of the way as he ripped towards her gut, she leapt onto the small wall that was covered by a sheer drop on the other side. Leaping from on high, claws flashing mercilessly, she was going right for his neck when the wolf crashed his arm into her stomach and sent her slamming into the wall with enough force to crack it. Stalking towards her with a satisfied expression on his face, Kate winced as she felt her bones start to knit back together. Yeah, that wasn’t right.

“You have been working out…how many wolves have you killed?” she asked, and Peter smiled, pleased with himself.

“Rather a few if I do say so myself. After all, even with my pet dogs in town, I can’t face Scott on empty reserves. An utter sap and fool he might be, but he is still the True Alpha.” He reminded, and she laughed a little before forcing herself off the wall and landing right in front of him.

The two creatures went at it, determined to slice the other to ribbons, Peter determined to stop her from preventing him from becoming the Alpha again, Kate trying to kill him to stop him from destroying Scott when he was so integral to her and her father’s plan. Claws ripped into one another’s bodies, spirals of blood flying in all directions, fangs sinking into hands as the two of them battled it out on the rooftop. Peter slammed his fist into her chin, sending her spiralling through the air before crashing to the ground in a heap, but before the wolf could finish off his long time grudge, the nagual was already on the move, pouncing back to her feet and arcing her leg into his sternum, before stabbing her sharp claws into his chest. Roaring in fury, he swiped at her, ripping some of her hair off with his claws, and as she pulled away, he backhanded her away, crashing her into the water cooler that was on top of the building. Advancing in order to end this, he was about to gloat when she shot him an amused look and plunged her claws into the tank, puncturing it and sending three strong jets of water into him which sent him tumbling off his feet.

With the wolf at her mercy, Kate went in for the kill, her razor sharp claws moving to end the wolf who had turned her into what she was. Stabbing him with wanton venom, Peter howling in pain, she made to rip his throat out with her teeth when he got a hand free and crashed it into the side of her jaw, dislocating it. As Kate reeled back in pain, Peter got to his feet and grabbed her by the hair, viciously crashing her into the ground before stomping on her, the werejaguar howling in pain as he did so. Rolling away from his vicious attack, Kate tried to get to her feet but Peter was too strong for her, grabbing her arm and wrenching it back, allowing him to rip his claws through her face.

Kate screamed in pain and gestured wildly, and Peter chuckled.

“That wont save you.” He promised, about to rip out her throat with his teeth when a hulking fist the size of a joint of beef slammed into him. Peter cried out in pain as his arm snapped, losing his grip on a bleeding Kate, who glared at him with glowing green eyes.

“This isn’t over Peter.” She vowed, and beckoned her two Berserkers, vanishing down the stairway out of sight.

Peter growled in pain and frustration as he picked himself back up. Kate was alive, she was now a werejaguar, and worse, she was in control of the blasted Berserkers. And what was more, for whatever reason, she wanted to protect Scott, which meant she was a threat to his plans. He had come too far to fail now. No, she would have to be dealt with.

Perhaps it was time the pack learned that she was still alive.

Or…he thought with a small smile as he looked at the brawl down the stairs, perhaps he should tell the Callaveras that their La Loba was in town.

Yes…either way Kate wouldn’t be a problem for long.

 

XX

 

The whists appeared from nowhere just as the arrows started to fly, but by that time, the fat really had hit the fire. The hunters, having the heaviest firepower and being trigger happy at the best of times, had opened fire, and now bullets were scattering everywhere, but when it became clear that one of the Berserkers was bound right for them, the panicking hunters started focusing their firepower on him, not that it bothered him much.

Hollis, or the Owlman, swooped down from above, going right for Agravaine, who responded with blistering fury as the two rivals duked it out, fire blasting from Agravaine’s fingers as the two of them fought. The Pombero had advanced towards Lydia, only to be delayed by the whists and the charging Berserkers who didn’t seem to care who they took out to get what they were after.

And the pack was right in the centre of it.

Scott gave a savage roar, his claws ripping into a surprised Agravaine’s side as his fury at what he had done to Jackson and his threat against his pack came to the fore. As Agravaine snarled, his eyes glowing that poisonous yellow, he reared his hand back to strike him when Hollis ripped a slash in his hand with the talons on his feet before landing, the True Alpha and the Owlman battling the monster in charge of the Ghost Pack. Scott’s claws were a blur as the two fought, and combined with the added strength of the Owlman, a furious Agravaine was forced onto the defensive, moving him away from the pack and closer to the fire that he had created. Scott then stabbed upwards after crouching down, going right for Agravaine’s stomach when the Owlman brought his foot down upon his head, crushing him into the ground with a whimper, screeching furiously as he continued his fight with Agravaine, his foe laughing mockingly.

Isaac leapt through the air, twirling as he did so before landing on his hand and thrusting one of his knives into Thane’s side. Roaring in fury, Agravaine’s second in command went for Scott’s, his claws and teeth baring down on Isaac, who armed with his knives, was almost untouchable, and within seconds there were thin slashes all over Thane’s front. Retreating a little, he prepared to strike again when Stiles stabbed his metallic claws into his back, as Scott’s two deputies went at it with their opposite in the Ghost Pack.

The whists were suddenly everywhere and Jackson and Malia were fury unbridled as they fought to defend the three younger kids in the centre of the pack. Malia pounced on two of them crushing them into the dirt before heaving their bodies into the blazing fire. Jackson swung his bad arm, wincing in pain as he did so, feeling as if his nerves were on fire as he did it, but that didn’t stop him. The pain, debilitating though it was, was enough to remind him of just how angry he was, and now he was ripping viciously into the minions of the one who had done this to him.

The whists charged from all around, and despite the best efforts of Malia and Jackson, it was quite apparent that they were going to break through.

“Oh to hell with this!” Garrett snapped as another whist made a move for him, and he sprang over the whist, making for the alleyway.

“You coward!” Kira stormed as she sliced a whist in two to protect Mason, but Garrett turned back and glared at her as he seized a broken piece of pipe off the ground and proceeded to slam it into the whist that had followed him, hammering its body into the ground.

“I stand corrected.” She admitted, twirling out of the way and plunging her sword into the backbone of another whist while Garrett threw heavy metal bars to both Liam and Mason.

While Mason looked terrified, Liam swung furiously, his heart thundering in his ears as adrenaline and rage kicked in, allowing him to virtually shatter a whist in two with the force of the impact as he crashed his pole into its side. Mason looked at him in slight shock and then got the hang of it himself, turning and taking down a whist that had just launched himself at his head.

“Good work!” Kira encouraged as she took down another one.

“Kira!” Aiden, who was currently battling Malakai, yelled, just before the ghost like dog sent him crashing into the wall.

Kira span in shock to see a Berserker bearing down on her, its long bone sword about to take off her head. Kira barely managed to deflect the blow, twirling out of the way and parrying his next strike before gradually being forced back, the brute slamming his sword into hers as they battled through the ongoing struggle.

The Pombero had finally managed to get rid of the whists attacking her, and now she was free to pursue Lydia on her own. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Aiden and Jackson both struggling to get to her, but with Aiden locked in mortal combat with a gleeful Malakai and Jackson currently surrounded by whists, and even the three younger kids surrounded on all sides (though admittedly holding their own against the whists) she was on her own this time, and as Martagh had so kindly pointed out, she was fairly useless in a fight.

Firing her tazer into her chest, Lydia braced herself, hoping that that would give her some reprieve. While the Pombero did jolt a little, after shuddering for a minute, she eventually just dragged the wire out of her chest, glaring at her in disdain before cracking her whip, her ugly face forming a smile as she realised she had her prey right where she wanted her, raising her hand in order to steal the Banshee’s voice. Lydia backed away, pleading desperately for any sort of help against her, but she wasn’t like the others, she was defenceless, how was she meant to stop her, especially when everyone who could help her was currently engaged in a fight with someone else?

Unless…

“MARTAGH!” she screamed, praying to the heavens that the scuffock would hear her cry.

Yes she knew she had warned that she wouldn’t help her anymore, but she was desperate, and powerless as she was, and with the others all otherwise engaged, this was the only chance she had.

There was then a warm, summery breeze blowing around her and a swirl of autumnal leaves appeared before her which a second later revealed a peeved looking Martagh.

“Have you finally decided to listen to my teachings?” she demanded without preamble, a second before her eyes widened in alarm and she spun to deflect the crack of the Pombero’s whip on her staff.

“Look, I know you want me to learn, and believe it or not, I’m beginning to consider it, but unless you stop her, there won’t be anyone left for you to teach!” she shrieked as the Pombero hissed silently, her whip cracking as she squared off against Martagh, who shot an icy glare at her prospective student.

“I do not appreciate blackmail. Very well child, I will save you once more, but you will become my apprentice, and you will do as I tell you, am I understood?” she asked, her eyes blazing in fury, and Lydia nodded meekly as the Scuffock turned her full attention to the attacking Pombero.

Danny fired another arrow at Bonnie, who was already on the move, trying to assist Eoghan who was going against one of the Berserkers. Bullets were lancing all around them as the hunters, who were now forcing their attacking Berserker back, were now beginning to shift their focus. Derek and Braeden were combining their strength in order to battle the Berserker that was attacking them, though the way it was going, it wasn’t going to be long before the Berserker killed Derek, who was beginning to struggle against the brute’s superior strength as it started to gain the upper hand. The three younger kids looked exhausted, all three of them covered in scratches by the lethal whists and they were rapidly being surrounded by the vile creatures. Kira was rapidly losing ground against her Berserker attacker and was finding herself increasingly desperate as she was backed into a corner.

Lydia was blocked behind Martagh, who, without the element of surprise, was finding it a lot harder to overcome the Pombero than she had last time, and while the Scuffock was still the superior fighter, the Pombero, who was out for blood, wouldn’t be dismissed so easily this time. Martagh was casting bolts of magic at her opponent, her staff a blazing whirlwind of magical power, but the Pombero was her equal this time, her whip deflecting her attacks as both women danced around each other as they fought to the death.

Ethan was battling Rhyley while Aiden kept up his fight with Malakai, with both twins slowly starting to gain the advantage. However, as Aiden was slightly distracted with keeping an eye on Lydia while Ethan was keeping half an eye on Danny as he covered Jackson, the two ghost like brothers suddenly found themselves with an advantage. Aiden went right for Malakai’s throat, determined to end this threat and get to Scott, who was now facing the combined might of Agravaine and the Owlman together. And then of course Lydia was fairly safe behind Martagh, but should she fall, well, Lydia would be defenceless. Malakai then seized his wrist and hauled him into the wall, his head smacking into it. Shaking his head to clear it, Aiden span to see Ethan engrossed in his fight with Rhyley…and completely unaware of Malakai behind him.

“ETHAN!” he yelled as Malakai turned his arm transparent and ghostlike and forced it through Ethan’s chest.

Ethan gave a cold gasp as Malakai’s cold hand erupted from his chest like something from the Alien films. He looked down weakly, gave a little shudder, before his eyes rolled back in his head and his shivering body collapsed to the ground, shaking and quivering.

“NO!” Aiden screamed, but he wasn’t the only one who had done so as arrows suddenly started flying towards the two ghost like brothers, while a knife hurtled straight for Malakai as Danny and Isaac tried to avenge Ethan’s fall.

The two dogs backing off, snarling in impotence as the arrows forced them back, Aiden skidded to a stop beside his shivering brother. It was like the Oni all over again, they had to get him warmed up, and fast or there was no telling what would happen to him.

“Hang on bro.” he begged as Danny rushed to his side, tossing Isaac his knife back as he did so.

“I’ve got him, help Scott!” he urged, and Danny looked up to see as both Agravaine and the Owlman slashed him in the face.

Kira blocked a final swing, but this time the Berserker locked his blade against hers and with a deft move, he sent her blade clanking out of her hand. Suddenly unarmed, Kira tried to activate her foxfire but as she rubbed her tail, the Berserker lunged backwards, ready to impale her on his sword when Liam slammed his pipe into his back, staggering the beast.

Grunting angrily, the beast skelped Liam with a backhand, sending him crashing to the floor unconscious with a trickle of blood coming from his temple. With joint cries of fury, Garrett and Mason rushed it, determined to protect their friend while Kira grabbed her sword, and using her foxfire, sent a bolt of lightning up the length of it before plunging it into its back with a war cry.

The Berserker screamed in pain as the glowing sword erupted from its chest, clawing at it, looking at it desperately, as if in panic before the beast sunk to its knees, and with a loud, tortured, almost human scream, the Berserker blew apart into thousands of tiny fragments of bone.

Derek gasped in pain as the Berserker slammed its foot into his gut, and applied further pressure as a weak and bleeding Braeden tried to get her shotgun to shoot the thing threatening to crush him when it suddenly stopped, hearing the cry of pain of its comrade. Turning to face its ally, it gave an animal like scream as it watched its friend explode then grabbed its own head, tottering backwards as if struck by agonising pain, pulling at the massive skull mask as it sunk to its knees and then, with a final, tortured scream, it blew apart into tiny pieces.

“Always in twos…” Derek muttered.

Looking down the road at the sight of two of her Berserkers going boom, Kate, wincing as she walked, made a small noise of surprise.

“Huh…that was unexpected.” She muttered before making good her escape.

With the Berserkers now retreating however, the hunters were now free to focus on the two packs, and gunfire started filling the air as the hunters advanced as one. Jackson snarled as he threw aside another whist, Malia back to back with him, his arm burning with pain even before a bullet lanced through his shoulder. Howling in pain, he knocked Malia out of the way, accidentally saving her life as a bullet passed through where her head had been a second before. Danny, seeing their peril, rested Ethan’s freezing head on his lap and fired an arrow at the electric circuit box on the pylon above the hunters, forcing them back as the system shorted with a cascade of sparks, keeping them at bay.

Martagh pirouetted, slamming the end of her staff into the Pombero’s neck before sending a bolt of energy into her opponent, sending her staggering. Caught off guard by the unexpected move, the Pombero was that little bit too slow to stop her adversary and Martagh whipped her staff around her in a tightly controlled sphere, and with a final glow, she created a glowing transparent bubble around herself, which with a single gesture, she expanded right into the Pombero which screamed as it was blown into the air and vanished out of sight.

“Come on, we need to get everyone to the cars, we need to get out of here!” Derek urged, helping Danny get Ethan inside the jeep, Lydia looking impressed with Martagh despite herself.

The hunters were starting to take potshots again, but it wouldn’t be long until they were able to come after them with full force, and they needed to be long gone by then. Mason and Garrett, both still terrified, got Liam into the car and clambered in after him while Derek got ready for their escape.

The enemy pack was now focusing its attention on the pack members left standing, along with trying to take down the Owlman which was so determined to kill Scott. Isaac ducked around Thane’s claws, Stiles slashing up with his gauntlet and ripping into the brute’s side. Thane snarled furiously, his fangs going right for Stiles throat before Isaac plunged his two daggers into his sides, stopping the dog in his tracks. Howling and spitting in pain, Thane struggled as Stiles slammed his metal clad fist into the dog, breaking his jaw with the force of the impact. As both his eyes and Thane’s bulged in surprise at the occurrence, they both missed it as Eoghan appeared behind Isaac and swung a metal rod into the back of his head. Isaac gave a grunt of pain and dropped to the ground, unmoving.

“NO!” Scott thundered, and ripped a jagged slash in the Owlman’s wing as he beheld what had happened to his boyfriend.

The Owlman screeched and, with his wing damaged, was no longer able to keep truly airborne. Agravaine gave him a malicious smile and though his nemesis screeched and flapped his wings desperately, he couldn’t quite escape in time as a jet of fire caught the birdman in the chest and blasted him like a firework into the night sky and out of sight.

Scott grabbed a hold of Thane and threw him into Eoghan with all his might, the impact breaking bones, but while focusing on those who had hurt Isaac, and with the Owlman gone, he was now defenceless against Agravaine.

Derek heaved Bonnie into the air and sent her screaming over the fire, while a shotgun blast diverted Ciara from attacking Stiles as he got Isaac to safety while Martagh was casting blazing white spells, forcing the dogs back from them, and with a final gesture, she sent the rest of Agravaine’s pack scattering into the ground as the hunters emerged from the rain of sparks and opened fire.

“Hurry!” Martagh screamed in alarm, rapidly conjuring a shield, her arm quivering as dozens of bullets impacted against it, knowing she couldn’t last much longer against the onslaught as the Callavera clan focused their undivided attention on the pack.

Agravaine gave a furious roar, noxious green smoke belching from his mouth as he did so, and Scott was unable to avoid a face full of it. Coughing and spluttering, he looked up with streaming eyes to see those merciless acrid yellow eyes gleaming in the green smoke above him just before five burning claws plunged right into his stomach, Scott’s scream of pain reverberating through the entire pack.

“Scott!” Kira cried as she, Aiden, Stiles and Derek moved through the cloud of smoke.

“I told you boy…I will have you, one way or another!” Agravaine vowed just before he let out a squawk of pain as Aiden’s claws dug into his side.

Roaring in outrage, Agravaine cast Scott off his claws and sent him to the ground in a heap before slashing his searing nails across Aiden’s exposed chest. Aiden cried out in pain as a trail of fire burned across his chest before Agravaine, spitting in fury, stuck a sharp claw into his forehead, just above his eyebrow.

“No!” Derek yelled, sinking his teeth into Agravaine’s hand.

Agravaine jerked his hand back as Aiden fell to the ground, clutching his face and screaming as Kira swept him to safety. Derek shoved Stiles back as an infuriated Agravaine turned to them, fireball ready to smite the two of them when Stiles gave him a cocky grin and threw a gas canister into the air.

“Oh buggeration, not again!” he cursed as the area filled with smoke, finally giving them the chance they needed.

“Can you do anything about that fire?” Braeden gasped in pain, pointing to the ring of fire, and Martagh winked.

“I shall do my Moses impression.” She promised, and gesturing with her two hands, she suddenly separated the raging fire, finally giving the pack the room they needed to escape.

Scott was stowed safely in the keep, Derek took one of the bikes, Kira another, and Stiles took Scott’s while Lydia manned Aiden’s, and with that, they ignited the engines and with a roar the various vehicles blazed out from the death trap, which Martagh, standing on top of the jeep, closed behind them as they shot away.

“They’re getting away!” Thane snarled as the hunters pushed onwards, shooting at the Ghost Pack.

“We’ll deal with them later, don’t just stand there you fools, kill them all!” Agravaine roared as, claws blazing with fire, he threw himself into the throng of hunters and began ripping them to shreds.

Looking back on the site of the battle, Martagh breathed a sigh of relief as the ring of fire closed, trapping the hunters and the Ghost Pack safely behind it. They had escaped…just.

And with that, the vehicles bearing the wounded and exhausted pack members, blazed up the road, Martagh casting a shield behind them as they made good their escape, leaving Agravaine, the hunters, the Berserkers, the Owlman and the Pombero far behind.

 

XX

 

Melissa was going out of her mind with worry. A full fledged prison riot was going on, meaning John at the very least was in danger. However, the not so subtle absence of both Scott and Isaac had left her with a sinking feeling in her gut. While she could think of no possible reason the boys, or any of the pack for that matter, would be out and involved with the riot, she couldn’t shake the feeling that that was exactly what they were doing. And quite frankly, she was going nuts just thinking about it, supernatural threats were one thing, murderous demons were one thing, but deliberately going up against escaping prisoners, why did they all have a death wish?

“You boys are so grounded when you get home.” She vowed to herself, knowing full well her fury would dissipate as soon as she saw they were safe.

She was just contemplating getting herself a cup of coffee to try and calm her nerves when to her great surprise the bell rang. Looking at the door suspiciously, after all there was a prison break going on, she cautiously edged towards the door, making sure to pick up the metal bat by the door just for safety. Oh what she wouldn’t give to have had a full shift and to be at the hospital tonight…

She opened the door, keeping the bat ready, and to her great surprise, it was a young man with a heavy looking rucksack on his back, dressed in army fatigues that was waiting for her on the other side of the door.

Slightly disappointed all of a sudden that she was in a relationship with John (after all, it wasn’t every day a hot young man in uniform came knocking at your door) she lowered the bat slightly behind the door, but did lower it as she took him in.

He was around the same height as Isaac, but less lanky looking, better built. He had a stubbly growth of a few days on his face, and he looked slightly weedy, as if he was incredibly thin beneath his uniform, like he was underfed. He had a long thin scar on his cheek, and bright grey eyes, that were looking at her with slight nervousness. His hair was a sort of light blond, styled up at the front with a single strand hanging over his forehead.

“Melissa McCall?” he asked hopefully, and a little taken aback, she nodded.

“Um, yes, can I help you?” she asked, still not releasing her bat.

He sighed in visible relief and smiled happily.

“Thank god I’m in the right place. Um, I was told Isaac Lahey was living here, can I see him please?” he asked hopefully, visibly brimming over with excitement, and Melissa, her maternal instincts kicking in, solidified her grip on her bat as she looked at him suspiciously.

“Yeah he does live here, but he’s not in at the moment. Um…who are you?” she asked, ready to swing the bat if he made any funny moves, and the young man shrugged and gave her a hesitant smile.

“Um, this is going to sound really bizarre, and totally unbelievable but…” he began, and Melissa arced her eyebrow expectantly, regardless of what he said, she wasn’t going to let her bat go any time soon….or so she thought, and his reply was punctuated with a dull clunk as the bat fell from her lifeless grip as she looked at him in total shock.

“I’m Camden Lahey. I’m Isaac’s big brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay on this chapter, what with one thing and another it took me a lot longer than it should have, but in exchange you now have a slightly longer chapter, which is apt because Two-Pack II is now on midseason break! Well, really, I've got other stories to write and I'd like to update at least some before Christmas, but this is the end of the episode, so I thought this was a good place for a break, but dont worry, I'll be back in the new year!
> 
> Anyway, kudos and comments are most appreciated, thank you for reading, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year when it comes and I will see you all then!


	20. Episode 4: Fraternity Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack discover what they are dealing with, Argent heads for home, and a reunion occurs

Two-Pack II

 

Thomas Widdershin took a deep breath. It was time, he had put this off for too long. He had to do it now. Right now, he couldn’t let other people get hurt anymore. This was the right thing to do. He couldn’t put it off any longer.

He looked up and down the street, cars blazing past him, the entire town having been whipped into a frenzy by the prison break. Yes, this was the right thing to do, and the right time to do it.

And as a lorry approached, Thomas took a deep breath and stepped out into the middle of the road.

He heard the honking of the horn, the beamlights of the truck shone on him and then several tons of heavy metal slammed into him and he knew no more as cars screeched to a stop and screams filled the air as the shattered body of Thomas Widdershin slammed into the ground, dead on impact.

And far away, on the other side of town, in the centre of the reserve, the corrupted nemeton, gave out an invisible, silent pulse as the blackened wood rotted a little bit more, and more insidious, thorny, strangling vines wrapped around the ever growing stump as it continued to pump its malevolence into the town.

 

XX

 

Having barely managed to escape the combined force of Agravaine and his pack, the Berserkers, the Callaveras, the Owlman and the Pombero, the beaten, bashed and bruised pack had made good their escape, fleeing from the scene of their battle. Having safely made their escape, Danny had led the way to his house, knowing his mother was out of town for the night, which had initially meant that he and Jackson could have the place to themselves and just kick back. However, with the prison break and now the arrival of the various enemies in town that was obviously no longer an option, and it was his house that was to be used for the recovery of the defeated pack.

Having got everyone into the house, Danny winced as he looked around the room, seeing the mess that had been made of the pack, and also taking note of the brewing problem coming from the three youngest people in the room, well, two and a half, as Liam was only just coming round.

Mason and Garrett on the other hand were not unconscious, and were covered in scratches from the whists, and Mason’s eyes were wide and bulging, he looked totally terrified because of what he had just witnessed, his knuckles white as they clenched on his knees as he looked desperately around the room as though seeking a way out. Garrett on the other hand looked slightly calmer, and while he was giving them all nervous looks, he was crouched in front of Liam and Mason, trying to wake a weak and groaning Liam up while trying to soothe Mason.

Scott had woken up during their escape, his stomach burning from where Agravaine had stabbed him with his claws, and he was also coughing rather a lot, which was only making his stomach wound worse as he tried to purge his lungs of the smog he had inhaled during the fight with Agravaine. Upon waking he had rushed straight to Isaac, and despite the pain he was in and the persistent coughing, he had carried his still unconscious boyfriend into the house before he had turned his gaze in alarm to the rest of the pack.

Derek was mostly fine, though he too was battered and bloodied, however he was now dealing with Braeden’s wounds, patching up her bleeding side and glowering resentfully at the world. On the plus side that meant that prison hadn’t changed him that much.

Danny and Lydia had gotten out of the fight mostly unscathed. Danny had promptly headed upstairs and had found a tshirt that belonged to Ethan which he had given to Aiden as the shirtless twin hugged his frozen, shivering and shaking twin to him, desperate to warm him up. Aiden had accepted the top, wincing as he put it on, and with a pointed look at Danny, Danny had relented and had settled down on Ethan’s other side, hugging up to him to help speed up his warming process. His eyes lingered on Aiden. While the three jagged scars on his chest seemed to be healing, despite the horrible burning sensation he got from them, the scar that now marked Aiden’s right eye wasn’t healing at all. A single scar, it ran from just off centre above his eye, splitting his brow, and heading in a very small gradient down the other side. However, Aiden did assure them that he could still see, so at the very least the scarring hadn’t blinded him. Wincing and hissing as he massaged his burning eye, he wrapped himself around his shivering brother as he attempted to warm him up, Danny doing the same from the other side.

Lydia, in the search for something to do, had gotten everyone water, and then started helping Kira patch herself up of the various cuts and scrapes she had got from her fight with the Berserkers. As she attended to her friend, she was looking suspiciously at Martagh, who was stood by the window, waving her staff and muttering away to herself.

Jackson was sitting quietly in the corner, rubbing his blackened arm self-consciously as pain burned through him. The fight had totally taken it out of him, he was completely exhausted, and now it was like his every muscle was on fire, draining him and weakening him. Looking at his arm in distaste, he rubbed it as if in an effort to comfort himself, and he shook his head a little. Scott laid his hand gently on Jackson’s shoulder, and Jackson looked up at him fearfully, his eyes shining a little bit, before he shook his head and looked away.

Stiles was reciprocating Malia’s attempts to patch up his various cuts ans bruises, and was admittedly handling it better than she was, as she kept wincing and hissing in pain as he tended to her. Scott fought down a snigger as he watched Stiles try to remain patient with her, and noticed a slightly smug grin on Lydia’s face as Malia picked shards of debris out of her bare feet. Scott then felt his heart lift slightly as he noticed that Isaac too was stirring, but before he went to his boyfriend he knelt down and laid a hand on Garrett’s shoulder, making the boy look up at him nervously as Liam moaned and rubbed his head.

“Ow my head…” he moaned, and Scott gently probed his temple, taking a little bit of pain from the kid as he did so.

“You ok little guy?” Scott asked in concern, and Liam looked up at him in slight awe, then shook his head as if to clear it, before looking worriedly up at the Alpha.

“I hear a clanging in my head, is that normal?” he asked worriedly, and Garrett grinned.

“You smacked a bin when you went down that’s all.” He assured him, and Liam nodded dolefully.

“Now I know how cartoon characters feel.” He moaned as Garrett sat up beside him, giving Mason an uneasy look as he did so.

Scott sat down beside Isaac who was now fully awake and rubbing his head ruefully, and Scott gently reached up to check but Isaac waved his hand at him.

“I’m fine, it’s not the first time, worry about someone else.” He ordered, and Scott smiled a little despite himself, he would just fuss over Isaac later that was all.

“Ok, I can’t hold it in anymore, what the hell was all that?” Mason screamed from his place on the couch, making Liam flinch as the shout echoed through his already clanging head, and the entire room turned to face the young boy, who was now on his feet, looking petrified.

“Mason you need to calm down.” Scott told him kindly, and Mason looked at him as though he was crazy, which to be fair, to him he probably was.

“Calm down? You’re one of them!” he screamed, making Liam wince and Garrett took a hold of Mason’s wrist and glared at him.

“You’re making Liam worse, tone it down ok?” he warned, and as bid, Mason took a deep breath before he looked hopelessly around the room, and he certainly seemed to be on the edge of a panic attack.

“You need to calm down Mason otherwise you won’t be any good to anyone. Alright. Cliff notes version? The supernatural exists. Werewolves are the main thing in this town but there’s all sorts of other supernatural stuff going on here, as you saw. But Mason, you can trust us, we’re the good guys.” Scott assured him, and Mason scoffed disbelievingly and flopped down into the seat beside Garrett.

“How do we know you’re the good guys?” Garrett challenged, looking at Scott in particular with mistrust, and Jackson scowled at him.

“Because we just saved your scrawny hides that’s why dumbass.” He snapped, in no mood to be coddling a bunch of kids, they had problems, real problems here.

Danny, who was enjoying holding Ethan way more than he should be when his head was still messed up about the entire thing, and also noticing that Ethan wasn’t cuddling into his twin but into him now, looked at them both as if they were crazy.

“Like Jackson said, we saved you! And in case you missed it, the new big bad in town shoots fire out of his fucking hands! Doesn’t that obviously mark him as a bad guy?” he demanded almost yelling, which he was then distracted from as a sleepy but warming up Ethan snuggled into him further.

“Speaking of, what the hell was he?” Kira demanded irritably, and Scott whistled stopping the deluge of voices that occurred before they got out of hand.

“Look guys, I know this is a lot to take in, and we know you never asked for it. I wanted to keep you out of it, but this Agravaine guy had other ideas. I’m sorry.” Scott said softly, and Garrett looked at him in confusion.

“Keep us out of what?” he asked, and Scott waved his hand around vaguely.

“All of this, the supernatural. See this town is a tourist attraction for every foul supernatural things, evil Alphas, kanimas which are kind of weresnakes, geriatric psychopaths, murdering daddy’s girls wanting to make daddy proud, insane druids who sacrifice people and then evil long imprisoned fox spirits that like to feed on chaos. See, we’re the local pack, and it’s our job to protect the town from all the supernatural things that keep coming into it.” He explained, and Mason looked at him, thoroughly unimpressed.

“Good job on that.” He mocked, and Scott faltered a little, but Isaac, his eyes glowing gold, growled angrily at the younger boy.

“Ok, we get it, you’re not coping…but you’re in the middle of a room filled with pissed off werewolves, so you might want to keep that sneer out of your voice since we’re really not in the mood to deal with your teenage crap.” He snarled and Mason wisely went quiet, shaking a little in fear, Isaac had sounded so terrifying.

Swatting at Isaac’s leg chidingly (though appreciating the sentiment all the same) he chanced a look around the others and was relieved to see they were all glaring at Mason and he was quietly relieved. This wasn’t like last time, they weren’t all suddenly doubting if he was a good Alpha or not, they were all on his side.

He locked eyes with Stiles who shot him a slight grin and a reassuring nod, and grinning, Scott turned back to Mason and the other two younger kids.

“Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, and I know you guys never asked for any of this, I didn’t want you guys getting caught up in all of this. But yeah, the supernatural exists. But you need to understand, we’re not monsters, we try to protect people. It’s ones like the people we were fighting earlier who are the real dangers. I know you’re kind of freaking out, and you’ve all had a crappy night. You can talk to us. But trust us, we’re not going to hurt you.” Scott assured them, sending a glare at Isaac whose eyes were still glowing gold as he stared at Mason to intimidate him.

Scowling, Isaac allowed his eyes to return to normal, watching the three younger kids carefully, but when none of them made any moves, he decided that the immediate danger at least was over, and that meant they could worry about the threat of exposure and government dissection later, as now they had to figure out what the hell the new bad guys deal was.

“Ok, like Kira said, what the hell were they all?” he demanded, and to everyone’s surprise, it was Martagh, still standing at the window, who answered.

“I don’t know what all of them were, but I do know some. The dogs, they were cursed.” She told them simply, and Aiden looked at her, wincing as the scar over his eye burned.

“Cursed? What do you mean cursed?” he asked, and she looked at him as if he was being dim on purpose.

“As in they are cursed, they are not true creatures, they have been altered, warped, twisted by some other force, hence cursed. Don’t they teach English here?” she asked irritably, and Aiden crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, wincing as he rubbed against the scar on his chest.

“Yes thank you.” He snapped, and Malia looked at him and cocked her head.

“But aren’t you flunking English nearly as bad as I am Maths?” she asked curiously, not to get him into trouble, but out of genuine curiosity, and Aiden glared at her, she realising a little too late what she had done.

“Thank you Malia.” He said patiently as Martagh snorted derisively.

“What do you mean, they’re cursed? Are they not real creatures?” Stiles asked curiously, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Garrett look up in interest too. Suppressing a grin, looked like the kid was already taking the existence of the supernatural in his stride, well he was at least handling it better than Mason was. Liam was still too dazed from his concussion to tell.

Martagh frowned as she considered her answer, and then leaned back against the windowsill to explain herself.

“As you clearly saw, what you are dealing with is clearly a pack of weredogs. But as far as I could see only one of them was an actual weredog.” She explained, and Liam, looking a bit bleary eyed, looked at her curiously.

“So what, the others weren’t dogs?” he asked, and they were kind of glad he had asked that, she was less likely to yell at the new kid for asking the question they were all going to ask anyway.

“Yes they’re still dogs, and I would be very surprised if they hadn’t started as weredogs, however something has warped them into the foul monstrosities they are now.” She told them, and Lydia looked at her so called mentor with a dubious expression on her face.

“So what are they all?” she asked, not sounding at all impressed with this newest threat.

Martagh considered her answer.

“The older woman, Bonnie I think her name was, she was clearly an ordinary weredog. A bad tempered one and strong one certainly, but a weredog all the same. She is the only one that was clearly a weredog though.” She said, and Ethan, still shivering but not as much, looked up from his space in between Aiden and Danny.

“But the big bloke that was fighting Isaac and Stiles, he looked like an ordinary dog too, he wasn’t clearly not a dog like the others.” He said, and Martagh nodded.

“Quite so. He was a Grim.” She said darkly, the very thought of a real live Grim being in town unsettling her slightly.

“Wait, a Grim? Like, you know, Harry Potter as in Grim?” Stiles asked in disbelief, and Martagh allowed herself a small smile.

“JK Rowling was actually surprisingly accurate. A Grim is a strange creature. You see existence warps around them, so in a manner they become both the omen and cause of death. If a Grim decides it wishes to kill someone, they bring their strange power to bear and once their target sees them, then reality fluctuates around them and eventually, happenstance combines to bring about the death wished for by the Grim. Make no mistake though, they are dark, dangerous creatures and among one of the most wicked that roam the land. He is an enemy to be treated with severe caution.” She advised, and Scott growled in annoyance, they were further on than they were but the thought of a murderous dog able to warp existence and kill at will wasn’t filling him with joy.

“Isaac, call Argent. I don’t care what time it is wherever he is, I want answers and I want them now.” He ordered and Isaac flashed a grin at him.

“Yes sir.” He quipped, sounding slightly playful as he did so, and then checked his phone.

“Huh, handy, it’s eight in the morning there he should be up.” He told them as he dialled as Scott began pacing the middle of the room, waiting determinedly for answers on the new foul creatures that were in town.

 

XX

 

“So, your protégé tried to assassinate the queen?” Argent asked as they sipped a morning cup of coffee and Maggie nodded grimly.

“Yep. Some idiot in the Alcazar let slip that a Royal was out and about and he heard, tracked down where they were going and found out what whoever it was, they were headed to the Falklands to soothe the populace there, an Iemisch was causing havoc and slaughtered two entire towns so they went there to calm them down before they rebelled. You can imagine how it looked, a young hunter, with a once in a lifetime shot against the queen.” She said darkly, and Argent looked at her sceptically.

“Did he know it was the queen?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Not at first but when he found out he was more determined than ever to try and kill her. I went after him to try and stop him but he wasn’t having it. He shot at the queen.” She explained grimly and both Argent and Amanda exchanged dark looks, hunters shooting at the queen was never a very good move

“I bet she was thrilled.” Amanda said grimly, and Maggie nodded.

“No kidding. He shot the governor, right beside her. Unfortunately, one of the Dragon Guard happened to be a witch, he did a locator spell and she was there in seconds. Ironic really, one of the things I tried to burn into his head was that you don’t shoot anyone who can fly! She landed right in front of him and sliced him into thirds, then gave his head to the villagers. And then, for good measure, because she decided I hadn’t tried hard enough to stop him, she did this to me.” Maggie said, astonishingly enough, without bitterness.

Amanda looked at her as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Seriously? The queen ripped you up, blinded you in one eye, and you just don’t care?” she demanded, and Maggie shrugged as she sipped her coffee.

“Well yeah it’s a bummer but there’s nothing I can do about it, she could have killed me which would have been worse. I’m too old for such a high profile hunt nowadays anyway. And besides…I’m sure you’ve noticed but things are changing. And now, a True Alpha, for the first time in a millennium, and neither side have made any move to take him out yet. Something is going on. I think it might be better to keep on the down low in the long run. This world is about to become a lot more dangerous.” She told them ominously, and as if to punctuate her point, Argents phone suddenly rang, and seeing that it was Isaac, Argent’s pseudo-paternal instincts kicked in.

When had he became so concerned about this kid?

“Isaac? What is it?” he asked, automatically figuring it was midnight in Beacon Hills and whatever reason, be it supernatural or a need to break Scott’s legs (he did still fantasize about that at times, after all, he was the guy who his little girl had fallen in love with, and he’d screwed around Isaac too….Argent was only human damn it!), he would do everything in his power to fix it.

“How are you doing?” Isaac asked, sounding tired, and Argent shrugged even though Isaac couldn’t see him.

“I’m right enough. What is it? Do you need me to break Scott’s legs?” he asked, vaguely hopeful, and Isaac made an awkward sound at the other end.

“Um…this is on speaker phone.” He said sheepishly, and Amanda and Maggie both sniggered before Argent waved it off.

“Ah well, the offer’s there. Hello Scott.” He said gruffly, and he smirked as he heard the less than impressed voice of the Alpha.

“Hello yourself.” He said waspishly, and Argent could practically picture the scowl on his face, which gave him no end of satisfaction. After all, Scott was the guy who had made his little girl a woman, and no matter what he did, he was a father and there was just no redemption from that.

“So what is up?” Argent asked, vaguely amused as he heard the rest of the pack sniggering in the background.

“Well, know how we asked you to find out stuff about whists?” Isaac asked hopefully, and Argent smiled.

“You’re in luck, I’m in the kitchen of the woman who knows more about dog like creatures than anyone, she’s basically to dogs what we are to wolves.” He said, nodding to Maggie, who toasted him with her coffee mug in thanks.

“How many of these guys are there? These hunters you told us about?” a new voice asked, and Argent frowned, he didn’t know this one, he was going to have to talk to Scott about exposure.

“Later Liam. So, they know about dogs of all sorts?” Scott asked hopefully, and Maggie took a sip of her coffee then leaned forward to the phone that Argent had just put on the table.

“I’m an open book son, hit me with your best shot.” She said, welcoming the challenge and Argent and Amanda exchanged amused glances.

“Ok. So, we met all the big bads in town, and damn there’s a lot of them.” Aiden, Ethan, he didn’t know, one of the twins anyway, told them.

“Ok, start at the beginning.” Argent said, this did sound fairly serious.

“The new real big bad decided to go all Steve McQueen and he broke open the damn prison, there’s prisoners running amok everywhere and what’s worse, the damn Callaveras are all loose again which means we’re back to the beginning.” Kira complained and the three hunters exchanged derisive looks.

“The Callaveras are morons, Araya is the only one among them with more than air and fluff between her hairs.” Amanda snapped, which Argent had to admit, while a harsh statement, was true.

“Well the Callaveras all seem to think she’s dead.” Derek, who Argent was surprised to hear, informed them, but before he could ask anything about it, Amanda ploughed on.

“Dead? Are you sure?” she asked sharply, positively glowering at the phone.

“Well we don’t know but all this time we’ve seen her goons but never her so we assume wherever she is, she isn’t doing too well.” Danny quipped and Maggie made a noise of disgust in her throat.

“That’s the last thing we need. If Araya’s gone…” she began and Argent rolled his eyes.

“It’ll be total war until they destroy the entire pack.” He finished, and Stiles scoffed.

“Well they can get in line, everyone else wants to kill us and supernatural beastie trumps idiot hunter. So, we have the Callaveras, and the Pombero is still trying to kill Lydia,” he began and Argent smiled as he heard Lydia pipe up into the conversation.

“Yay me.” She said with false cheer.

“Oh, and the Owlman is a new one on us too.” Scott interjected, and Argent stroked his bearded chin musingly.

Werebirds were rare, mainly because it was so vastly different from a mammalian creature. Reptiles were seen as a degeneration, a warping but were easy enough to create, and mammals were obviously the most common, but an Owlman was different in many ways.

“An Owlman is different. Natural born werebirds are very rare especially when compared to wolves like you lot. Most werebirds aren’t natural, they’ve made the choice to become that, sort of like how Jennifer made the choice to become the Darach. I doubt this is a real Owlman, but instead someone who’s decided he wants to become an Owlman.” Argent reason, and he could hear Aiden’s excited voice.

“Ohh, like Lincoln March!” he said excitedly.

“Who?” Scott and Argent asked in unison, and Maggie shrugged, lost.

“Never mind. Well on top of him there’s the Berserkers too.” Isaac said, clearly knowing full well who Lincoln March was, nerds had their own language.

Argent glowered darkly at the phone, Berserkers were bad enough but the situation could go from bad to worse depending on what sort of Berserkers they were.

“Do we know where they’re from?” he asked, and as he could have predicted, the answer was simple.

“Don’t bother, they’re the ones from the town next to the Callaveras town. On the plus side, there’s only four left, Kira killed one and the other one went poof when its partner died.” Derek explained, and Argent frowned thoughtfully.

“No one pretends to understand how those Berserkers link together, but if they’re in Beacon Hills, they’re working for someone and whoever they are, they’ll have access to more Berserkers. An entire town’s worth of the damned things if rumours are to be believed, there’s a reason hunters don’t go there.” Argent said, Scott groaned.

“We don’t even know what they were wanting, not like the dogs, which seemed determined to kill us.” He said, and that led them back to the dogs, who were clearly the main problem, and as such, Maggie leaned forward in order to hear better.

“So lad, tell me what we’re dealing with here.” She said, and Scott made an impatient noise in his throat.

“According to Martagh here, one of them is a weredog, just a normal if nasty weredog. The other is a Grim.” He informed them, and Amanda mouthed the word ‘Owlman’ at Maggie, who gave her a sharp look before slowly nodding, waiting for the pack to continue.

“She says the rest are cursed, and trust me, they don’t look too clever.” Stiles chimed in, and Argent frowned.

“Cursed?” he asked, but Maggie waved her hand impatiently, a look of growing dread on her face, which did nothing to make him feel any better.

“So she says. Two of them were really big, built like bears rather than dogs, and their faces were ugly even by our standards.” Lydia reported, and Maggie hissed through her teeth.

“Was their face kind of like that of a bat?” she asked, and Argent could see that at the very least she had an idea what they were facing.

“Yeah, kinda.” Scott replied, and Maggie scowled.

“They were Barghest, dark creatures from northern England. They’re associated with death, as is the Grim, but in a different way. The Grim warps reality, and hence is an omen and a cause of death. A Barghest is more like, a messenger, an intermediary of death. They appear when a death has happened, or is about to happen, but they very rarely cause it, similar to banshees in a way. The lore always portrays them as being covered with chains. As far as we know the chains don’t exist, but in that way, Barghests are linked with the dead, they form a channel to them. The whists, and those revenants you encountered, they were most likely the work of the Barghests, and they use their invisible bond with the dead to interfere with them.” She explained, and Argent could hear Lydia sigh in annoyance.

“Great, when I go full on banshee I can get myself a pet Barghest.” She complained, and Argent smirked a little before Malia continued the list of new big bads in town.

“The other two were cheap knock offs of the twins and a lot uglier.” She commented.

“Aww thanks Malia. She is right though, both of them were brothers, but they, they were different, they were more like ghosts than dogs.” Aiden explained, and Maggie looked at the phone sharply, Amanda’s eyes widening in alarm.

“Shining red eyes?” she asked urgently, and Scott sighed wearily.

“From the sound of it we’re not going to like what you’re about to tell us. What are they?” he asked, and she blew her breath out between her teeth in vexation.

“Gytrash. Horrible creatures, and your friend is right, a Barghest can very rarely occur naturally, a Gytrash can’t. They’re usually pure malevolence, and even their saliva is slightly acidic. The lore tends to see them as things that guide people off roads, and then they kill them as part of a pack. But in real life, they’re even nastier. They have an aura, which infects whatever it comes into contact with. They’re also cold as ice, so don’t touch one.” She warned.

“Yeah, thanks for that.” Ethan grumbled, and Argent rolled his eyes, clearly, he’d already encountered one.

“They’re akin to the Grim more than they are to the Barghest, they can warp reality, but rather than cause death, they bring death to a town, and then feed off it. Say someone is dying, well they show up, they drop dead, it finishes the job and makes them stronger. Nasty beasts.” Maggie said darkly, not envying the pack at all.

“Well that’s just…great, I mean how are we meant to fight them when they’re transparent, are basically only skeletons with freaky eyes and skin and freeze you as soon as you touch them?” Jackson demanded, and Argent frowned, he sounded all too wound up, even for someone who’d been shipped to California in a box.

“Do you guys ever fight anything cute and cuddly, like, I don’t know, squirrels?” a new voice asked hopefully, and he sounded majorly afraid.

“Weresquirrels…Stiles, do they exist?” Malia asked, sounding enraged, and Stiles blew out his breath in annoyance.

“Mason, you do not mention squirrels around Malia! Now look what you’ve done, she’s going to start a one woman genocide against them! Malia, sit down!” Stiles yelled, and there was then the sounds of a tussle.

“But they’re out there!” Malia protested as the rest of the pack, and the three hunters, laughed.

“Should we tell them weresquirrels really do exist?” Amanda whispered to Argent, who smiled in amusement.

“Only if you want Stiles to hunt you down and kill you.” He said wryly.

“There was another one, their leader, their Alpha, well at least he seemed to be.” Scott told them, getting the conversation back on topic.

“Dogs don’t have Alphas, they don’t need them.” Maggie told him curtly, and Isaac grumbled.

“Well he was calling the shots anyway, and he was really dangerous. Kind of like a bulldog that’s able to shoot fire.” He reported and Maggie leaned back in her chair, looking at them in disbelief.

“I was afraid of this. He’s a Gwyllgi.” She said tersely, looking terrified as Amanda also looked frightened.

“What the heck is a gikwee?” Scott asked, and then Isaac, sounding exasperated, corrected him.

“Not a gikwee, gwickhee. Make the middle sound like you have something caught in your throat. Gwikhee.” Isaac pronounced for him.

“Sexy though you sound when you speak British,” Scott said brightly, and Argent could imagine Isaac rolling his eyes, “it still doesn’t explain what the heck it is!”

“It’s a monstrous creature, comes from Welsh legends. It’s a frightening creature, hunts its prey down and terrifies them to death. It’s associated with death and fear, and its able to resurrect and control creatures, which explains the whists and the revenants. A Gwyllgi can predict death, and like the Grim, can warp events so that it happens, acting like an omen and a cause, but it can act like a Barghest, like a sentinel of death and they can feed off it and become stronger because of it, like the Gytrashes do. It corrupts, twists and warps everything it comes across, alters it and twists it into a perversion of itself. The Gwyllgi is a cursed creature, an abomination, someone turned him into it, he wasn’t born that way. Its corruption and evil manifests in its breath, called the Baleful Breath that was the fire you saw, which acts like a burning, paralysing toxin and can poison and taint and kill, very painfully, anyone it comes across.” Maggie explained, and there was silence at the other end of the line, which Argent chose to break.

“So what was with the secret looks?” he asked pointedly, and Amanda pursed her lips before Maggie nodded, and it was Amanda who then explained.

“In Britain, there’s an urban legend of a group of dogs, not normal dogs, but black dogs, meaning they’re associated with death and murder and all sorts of other stuff. They’re much more dangerous than normal weredogs, and the myth says that there are seven of them, a group so evil that some of them have become as evil in form as they are in their heart. Their name is the Ghost Pack. And best of all? The leader of the pack is said to be locked in a feud, with, wait for it, an Owlman.”

There was silence as they processed this revelation, and then it was another voice that Argent didn’t recognise that spoke next.

“Um, so these bad guys, this Gwyllgi,” he began.

“See, Liam can say it properly….oh stick your tongue out at me, that’s real mature.” Isaac said sarcastically and Argent grinned.

“The guy who can shoot fire out of his hands, his entire pack, they’re some sort of British urban legend? They are the Ghost Pack?” he asked in confusion, and Maggie nodded.

“Certainly seems that way.” She said darkly, and then Aiden summed up the situation in one word.

“Bugger.”

“Very succinctly put.” Maggie approved.

“This Baleful Breath that Agravaine can do…what do you know about it?” Jackson asked, his voice wavering a little.

Maggie frowned as she considered the question.

“Not so much, it’s very rare, very few creatures are able to do it, but the leader of the Ghost Pack is certainly one of the ones who would be able to, it’s a skill of a Gwyllgi. I shall see what information I have on it though.” Maggie assured him, and Argent made a decision.

“I’m coming back to Beacon Hills, you have Ghost Packs, Owlmen, Berserkers, hunters and all sorts going on over there. You need help.” He told them, and Isaac interjected.

“Look, I know you…” he began, but Argent shook his head.

“Isaac, I made Allison a promise, that I would take care of all of you, and all of a sudden you have creatures coming out of every orifice. I’m coming home.” He told him sternly, reminding himself he needed to sit down with Isaac and tell him exactly what Allison had told him before she had died.

“Ok, ok…are you going to Jackson’s parents before you do?” Isaac asked.

“Isaac…” Jackson protested softly.

“Hey, you wanted them to know, this way, they can hopefully find out without being put in danger.” He assured him.

“But…” Jackson objected, but then Scott interceded.

“Hey. We’ll fix it ok, I promise.” He vowed, and Jackson went quiet, making Argent wonder exactly what was going on back home.

“To answer the question, I’ll head to his parent’s house first, I’ll let them know their son is alive, but we’ll keep it quiet. Don’t worry, I can be discreet. And once that’s done, I’ll head home.” He promised.

“Cool. See you when you get back.” Isaac promised.

“Oh, and if Armani is going cheap at the airport, could you get me some please?” Danny asked brightly, and someone on the other end snorted with laughter as Isaac hung up the call.

“You need help?” Amanda asked at once, her eyes alight with purpose, and Argent considered it.

After all, Amanda was no pushover, and her past had proven that she would be willing to work with creatures if the situation required, which would be useful considering under no circumstances would he allow harm to come to the pack. That made her preferable to Natasha for a start, who was fairly cold blooded about such things.

But, if Maggie was right and things were indeed beginning to heat up between the two great powers, and with Britain the base of operations for one of them and Maggie being used as a source of advice, well Amanda would be of much better use here.

“I appreciate the offer, but no. Best not, if you guys are right, and both sides are gearing up for trouble, you two are better off here where you can do most good. I’ve got Gareth and Natasha, they can lend a hand.” He said, and Maggie, who was getting to her feet, threw him a sharp look.

“Natasha? Chris you know what she’s like…” she said warningly, and Argent nodded.

“I know, but she’s a good hunter and if this really is the Ghost Pack we’ll need all the help we can get. I can keep her in check, don’t worry.” He assured her, and Maggie nodded, though she did look sceptical.

“I’ll look out that stuff for you. Be careful though son, this lot, they aren’t to be underestimated.” She warned, and he nodded as she left the room, leaving him standing there with Amanda, who allowed herself a small smile.

“So, a Hale Alpha, a very rare Kanima, the Renegade himself and his Alpha Pack and a Nogitsune, and now the Ghost Pack too. You certainly know how to party in Beacon Hills.” She said in amusement, and he shot her an unimpressed look.

“I know. Don’t remind me.” He told her as he prepared himself to go back into the game, and to fulfil the promise that he made to his daughter.

 

XX

 

“So, this is normal for you guys?” Mason asked weakly, and Scott sighed before he nodded.

“Yeah, mostly. Admittedly we don’t normally have so many bad guys at once, but yeah, this is kind of normal for us.” He admitted, and Mason looked even more terrified than he already had.

“What do they all want?” Garrett asked curiously, a stark contrast to his friend, and Stiles shrugged, looking unbothered.

“Oh, it varies, either revenge, just to cause chaos, the nemeton or Scott tend to be the main winners though.” He explained, and Garrett looked at Scott sceptically.

“What’s so special about him?” he asked the room at large, and Scott pouted a little, he didn’t have to sound quite so disbelieving.

Isaac opened his mouth and Garrett grinned, pointing at Isaac.

“And no comment from you, you’re sleeping with him.” He said, and Isaac grinned but went quiet regardless.

“He’s the first True Alpha in a millennium, which means he didn’t have to kill to become one. So, that makes him a big knob to all the other creatures, hunters etc out there.” Derek explained and Scott shot him a surprised look at what he had said.

“Pardon?” he asked in shock.

Mason looked around them all, and then finally cracked.

“Excuse me, are you guys all insane? There are monsters out there, that guy was shooting fire out of his hand, and they were all trying to kill us! Why aren’t you freaking out? Why aren’t you two freaking out?” he demanded of Liam and Garrett and Liam winced.

“Maybe because my head is clanging?” he asked in a pitiful voice and Kira cocked her head at him sympathetically.

“Mason, you know as well as I do with all the murders in this town that there’s something off with it. Besides, in its own way, it’s kind of cool.” Garrett said cheerfully, and Mason looked at him incredulously.

“Seriously?” he demanded weakly, looking at his friend with something akin to betrayal.

“Mason…I know it’s a lot to take in. Go home, take a break ok? Get used to the idea and I swear, we’ll do everything we can to protect you.” Scott assured him and Mason still looked at him like he was crazy, but he did go quiet.

Braden then raised a hand, looking expectantly at Scott as he turned away from the younger kid.

“Um, now that we’ve gotten Casanova here out of prison,” she began, Derek grinning as he looked at her, “where do we hide him?” she asked, and Liam looked at him nervously.

“Um, are you sure he belongs out of prison? He looks kind of scary, what was he in for?” he asked worriedly, and Derek affected a wolf like grin.

“I killed people who couldn’t keep their mouths shut.” He told him darkly, grinning, and Braeden hit him as Liam, Mason and Garrett looked at him in terror.

“No he didn’t, ignore him. Um, I didn’t actually plan that far ahead.” Scott admitted lamely, and Martagh rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“The train yard?” Isaac suggested, and Derek looked at him, impressed.

“That’s actually a good idea, no one other than you guys knew I was there, and no one has any reason to go there. I’ll go to ground there, then we can figure out how to clear my name.” he said brightly, and Braeden nodded.

“Yeah, we’ll get stuff to you, don’t worry.” She assured him as Martagh swept to the centre of the room, looking around them imperially.

“How big is this train yard?” she asked, and Derek shrugged, looking confused.

“Enough space for me to train three wolves, and Isaac was tall and Boyd was no pixie either.” He admitted, and the Scuffock nodded in approval.

“Excellent, it will serve. Then I shall see the entire pack, including these new three if they so desire,” she said, waving vaguely at the younger kids, “for training tomorrow at four in the evening, because you are all in dire need of it.” And with that parting shot, she tapped her staff on the floor and vanished in a swirl of autumnal leaves.

“Well, up yours.” Ethan grumbled, speaking for the rest of the pack, to various nods of approval.

“Hey, you only get her for a bit, she’s meant to be teaching me all the time, count yourself lucky.” Lydia complained, which did elicit a small grin from Jackson.

Scott looked at Jackson worriedly, and Jackson gave him a slightly defiant look back. Scott nodded at him, and Jackson gave a small, though frightened nod back.

They had lost enough already, and they had defied death once before, if needs be, they would do it again.

“Ok, we need to get you guys home.” Scott said to the three younger kids, and Garrett nodded while Liam looked at them blearily, as Mason rubbed his arms self-consciously, avoiding their gaze.

Danny looked at Scott worriedly, looking at Mason and the two of them had a silent exchange, with Danny nodding in agreement, after all, he was the only human in the entire pack and unlike the others hadn’t really been influenced by as much supernatural nonsense, so he would be the obvious choice to talk to Mason, and if the kid really couldn’t accept it, then he could at least hopefully persuade him to keep quiet.

“I still hear ringing in my ears.” Liam complained, swaying slightly as Garrett and Mason helped him to his feet.

“Are you going to get your dad to check you out?” Scott asked worriedly, and Liam shook his head.

“No, I don’t want to worry them.” He said, his eyes still slightly unfocused, and Mason glared at him.

“No chance, don’t worry, we’ll make sure he gets checked out.” He assured them, and Scott looked at him in concern.

“Are you ok?” he asked, and Mason shrugged.

“We’ll call you when we get Liam home and checked by his dad ok?” Garrett asked, seeming fairly perky as opposed to the freaked out Mason and the away with the goalie Liam.

“Come on then you guys, I’ll take you home.” Kira said kindly, patting Liam’s hand, and despite being a bit dazed, Liam did grin in the same sort of goofy way Scott did with Isaac when he got flirty.

“It’s like there’s another Scott…god help us all.” Stiles complained while the Alpha glared at him while Kira and the three younger kids bid them goodbye and left.

Braeden sighed and got to her feet, looking wearily at Derek, wincing as she moved.

“Come on, we need to get you to your new home and find you a nice carriage to make your home. Let’s get you settled then I can get you some food and stuff.” She said, and Stiles looked at Derek curiously.

“What do we do about Peter? Do we tell him we got you out?” he asked, and Lydia snorted dismissively behind him, looking at Stiles as though he was crazy.

“Let the most manipulative bastard in town know his nephew is out of prison and that we had something to do with it? He’d have a field day.” She scoffed, and Jackson nodded grimly.

“Yeah, and let’s face it, he’s the sort who would blackmail us. We keep him out of it.” He growled, and Scott nodded in agreement.

“They’re right. Go, ok, and stay low, and if you caught, we’d kind of appreciate it if you didn’t take us down with you.” He said, and he clasped hands with a grinning Derek.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks though, for getting me out.” He said and with a final nod, he followed Braeden from the room.

“Yeah, just don’t remember us if you get caught, none of us would do well in the big house.” Stiles called, making Malia snigger, and Isaac grinned.

“Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t.” he told him, and Stiles glared at him.

“Oh, and you would? You would squeal!” he sneered, and Aiden interjected from his seat on the couch still holding his brother.

“Doesn’t Scott already make him do that?” he called out, making Isaac go red and Scott splutter in indignation.

“What?” he demanded weakly as Stiles grinned as Jackson, rubbing his arm self-consciously, looked sceptically at Stiles.

“For the record, you would last a whole five seconds in prison. Secondly, Isaac is taller, bigger, stronger and can look after himself better than you can, and unlike you, he already has a boyfriend who happens to be the Alpha, which means he’d be protected. You…you would be some guy’s new best friend in record time.” He mocked and Stiles turned with an angry expression to his grinning Alpha.

“What is the point of him?” he demanded irritably, and Isaac smirked.

“Good job, you made Stiles question your point in record time, you are officially on the list of people he doesn’t like and doesn’t want to share his very few friends with.” He teased and Jackson grinned while Stiles fumed silently.

“Do you two want to stay?” Danny asked the twins softly, and Ethan looked up at him hopefully, but Danny shook his head.

“Just down here.” He iterated, and Ethan seemed to droop, though Aiden nodded.

“Yeah we will, thanks. By the way, this burns like a bitch.” He complained, touching the scar over his eye and Scott cocked his head curiously.

“Weird, I’m still sore, sure, but the pain’s gone down slightly.” He said worriedly, and Aiden looked grumpy at the thought.

“Yeah but you’re the Alpha, and besides, you got stabbed in the stomach, the skin’s thicker there than it is over your eye.” He complained, and Lydia allowed herself a small smile.

“I don’t see what you’re complaining about, yeah it might hurt but you can still see, and besides, it makes you look quite…dashing.” She said innocently, and in contrast to his fairly down brother who was disappointed that there had been no thaw in his situation with Danny, Aiden did perk up at this compliment.

Scott, who had exchanged a significant look with Stiles, was about to intercede when his phone rang, and realising that it was probably his mother on the other end who would be worried sick, he figured he better answer it rather than dealing with Lydia and Aiden, after all, none of them (he was beginning to think not even her) had any idea of why she had dumped him in the first place.

“Hi mom, don’t panic, we’re all fine, well, mostly.” He admitted lamely, and Isaac looked at him incredulously, that certainly wasn’t going to calm her down, and he winced as he heard her hiss down the phone.

“I knew you lot would be out, what the hell were you thinking, it was a full blown prison riot!” she stormed, but oddly, she wasn’t yelling, it was more a harsh whisper.

“We were thinking that it would be better to make sure the entire Callavera clan didn’t escape, which they all did anyway.” He admitted ruefully, and she sighed in exasperation.

“Did someone else escape?” she asked suspiciously, and Scott laughed nervously.

“Course not mom…” he began, and he could virtually hear her eyes roll, besides, the expression was the same on Isaac and Stiles’ face.

“If your grandmother finds out you aided and abetted an escape from prison, even if he is innocent, she’ll have a stroke. Anyway, that isn’t why I’m calling. You two need to come home, like, now.” She told him, and Scott felt a low growl develop in his throat, something didn’t sound right.

“Mom, what is it?” he asked suspiciously, and she made a thoughtful noise.

“Well I think I’m safe, I don’t think he’s a revenant, and I’m keeping the bat close by in case he is, but, well either way you two need to come home. Now.” She said, and Scott could feel his worry rising by the minute.

“Mom, what’s going on?” he demanded, and she clucked her tongue in exasperation.

“Scott, just come home, both of you, now!” she ordered and hung up, and Scott snarled in annoyance before beckoning to Isaac.

“What’s going on?” he asked, and Scott shook his head darkly.

“I have no idea, but we need to get home, come on, let’s go.” He said, and with that the two of them ran out of the house, Scott’s heart pounding in his chest as he leapt onto the bike, feeling Isaac squeeze him reassuringly as he climbed on behind him and with that the two of them blazed across town towards home.

 

XX

 

What with one thing and another, Lydia was quite relieved to reach her house without further encounters with any of the myriad of problems that were now plaguing the town. And now she was to enter into training with Martagh, which in some ways was all very well and good, but something just didn’t sit right with her, and it was making her uneasy.

And wasn’t it kind of after the fact? If she’d had a grip on her powers before now, if she had known what she was doing, if she’d had any way to actually use them instead of just stumble onto them, how many people might still be alive?

She opened the door, weary with fear and exhaustion, when she noted that the living room light was still on. Wondering what on earth her mother could still be doing up after midnight, and hoping she didn’t suspect her of being caught up in the prison break, she was about to head up the stairs when her mother called to her from her seat in the living room.

“Lydia? Honey can I talk to you?” she called from inside, and Lydia closed her eyes, all she wanted to do was go to sleep.

“Mom, I’m really tired, can we talk in the morning?” she asked, figuring whatever was on her mother’s mind could wait a few hours until after she slept.

“I know you’re a banshee.” Came the cry from within as Lydia started to climb the stairs, and she froze mid-step, and turned to look into the living room.

Ok, maybe it couldn’t wait until the morning.

Suddenly not feeling very tired anymore, she headed into the living room, thrilled that she was finally going to get some answers at last.

 

XX

 

The motorbike pulled to a stop outside the house, and Scott virtually flew up the path, with Isaac right behind him, worry filling both of them. Melissa had clearly been odd on the phone, but also hadn’t seemed to be in any immediate danger, which only made the entire thing all the more odd, what was going on that she didn’t want to be overheard yet wanted both boys home as soon as possible, did she feel like she might be in danger of some sort?

“Mom?” Scott called as they entered the house, and he immediately picked up on an unfamiliar scent, which nonetheless seemed familiar in some ways.

Melissa came into the hallway, an expression of relief as she saw both of her boys enter into the house, and then she sent them both a dirty look.

“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded, and Scott shook his head impatiently.

“Never mind that, why did we have to come home so quickly, what’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, and she waved him off to stop him fretting.

“I’m alright, nothing’s wrong anyway, it’s just a bit of a surprise. I don’t think he’s a revenant, but even if he isn’t, the timing is awfully convenient which is why I was a little dubious about it, but even if we didn’t know about revenants, I would still want you home quickly, because..” she began but at that moment, the two boys gazes were drawn in the direction of the living room, where a young man, a few years older than them entered, and his face immediately split into a smile upon seeing them.

But while Scott was watching the older guy, who was admittedly quite attractive (tall, well-built though he did look like he could do with putting on some weight, dark blond hair styled up at the front with a few strands of hair falling lazily across his forehead, blue eyes), it was Isaac’s reaction that interested him the most.

He froze as he saw the guy emerge from the living room, and was blatantly staring at him, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. His lip trembled a little, and he looked as though he was trying to say something, but it was as if his words were failing him. His lip then quivered, and Scott fought down the urge to growl at this newcomer, as it seemed that by his very presence, he was about to make Isaac cry.

“Scott…this is…” Melissa began, perhaps scenting danger as Scott’s protective instincts kicked in.

“C-Camden?” Isaac whispered in disbelief, as though hardly daring to believe it.

“Hey baby brother.” Camden replied, tears in his own eyes, and with that he crossed the distance between the two of them and wrapped Isaac in a fierce, loving hug, who eagerly hugged back, sniffing into Camden’s shoulder, as Scott turned, flabbergasted, to his mother, who seemed torn somewhere between amusement and bemusement.

“Brother? As in his dead big brother?” he demanded in shock, and Melissa nodded, hardly believing it herself, as Isaac reunited with his long lost older sibling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated this on fanfiction the other night and it only occurred to me last night that I had totaly forgotten to update this one so here it is, the start of episode four!
> 
> We now know exactly what were dealing with and Isaac and Camden have been reunited but will Scott remain less than thrilled about his boyfriend's brother's arrival?
> 
> I only plan to do episode four for now, once thats done i shall have a quick interlude then get back to the tale, dont worry i intend to finish it before the end of the year
> 
> So lovely people im back for now, so kudos and comments are appreciated, they brighten my day!


	21. Episode 4: Fraternity Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camden tells his story, Natalie tells her daughter the truth, and Camden and Isaac begin to repair their sibling bond

Two-Pack II

“We’re sure it’s him then?” Melissa asked as she and Scott got plates out in the kitchen, and Scott nodded, looking very nonplussed by the entire thing.  
“Yeah, he isn’t a revenant, or if he is, he’s a very good one. But considering Agravaine summoned all his minions to him and he just came here I reckon he must be the real deal.” He mused, and she shot him a weary look.  
“So do I get to know all about this new big bad in town?” she asked, and he smiled grimly, then looked fondly through to the living room where Isaac was looking at his big brother as if he was some sort of angel descended from heaven (actually, not a good comparison, with their luck, he could be).  
“Tomorrow mom. Let Isaac forget about it all for one night by enjoying the fact that his…big brother is back from the dead.” He said, a strange tone to his voice and Melissa allowed herself a small grin as she followed her son through into the living room.  
Scott was thrilled for Isaac of course he was. Didn’t stop him being jealous though.  
“So Camden, do you drink? Down boy…” Melissa warned as Isaac looked up hopefully as she entered with a bottle of wine.  
“Only to excess ma’am.” He replied, and she smiled before pouring him a glass of white wine, then feeling the puppy dog expression at her back, relented and poured one for the boys too, and another (it finished the bottle so she got slightly more, tragic how that had worked out) for herself then sat down and smiled, raising her glass to Camden.  
“Well then, to your successful return from the grave. Welcome home.” She said, toasting him and he smiled, clinking glasses with his little brother, who sipped his wine then looked at him with a burning expression in his eyes.  
“So, tell me! I want to know everything!” he pleaded, and Scott grinned a little, he wouldn’t have thought he would ever see Isaac so excited about anything to the extent that he was now a bizarre mix of Stiles and Liam with the curiosity and the puppy like eagerness.  
Camden laughed, waving his hand impatiently.  
“Never mind me, I’m more concerned about you, I’ve not seen you in over five years and unlike me you were stuck with dad.” He said sympathetically, and Melissa shot a pointed look at Scott before he even considered snarling at the name, she didn’t think revealing the supernatural to him during his first night was the way to go.  
Isaac smiled, shrugging, and Scott had to admit, he liked seeing Isaac smile like that.  
“I’m fine, I was alright.” He assured him, but Camden narrowed his blue eyes, shaking his head slightly.  
“Isaac, you and I both know you weren’t fine, weren’t fine at all. Dad was barely coping after mom died, and when he was told that I was dead…” he said worriedly, but Isaac shrugged.  
“It’s fine ok, stop worrying.” He told him, but Camden shook his head stubbornly.  
“Eye-eye…” he said warningly, clearly using a pet name and Isaac harrumphed but smiled a little as he relented.  
“Ok fine. Dad did get worse. A lot worse. I mean he was borderline abusive to us when you went away,” he began, his voice sounding sad, and only the fact that he didn’t think it would be a good idea for Camden to find out his brother had a boyfriend on his first night back kept Scott from reaching across to grab his hand, “but when you stood up to him, just before you left, when you told him that you would make him regret it if he ever hurt me while you were gone, it did kind of keep him under control for a while. I think he was scared really, scared of you being able to stand up to him, and that you would come back for me and leave him with nothing.” He explained, and both McCalls sat in silence, listening to the exchange, but inside, both were simmering with fury, the bastard had abused Camden too from the sounds of it but obviously, when he had been reported dead, Isaac had gotten the worst of it.  
Camden snarled, getting to his feet and pacing restlessly, scowling out at the world before turning back to his brother.  
“And when they reported that I was dead?” he asked sharply, and Isaac avoided his eyes but sighed sadly, knowing his brother wouldn’t rest until he had heard the answer.  
“Well, at first he didn’t do anything, it was like he was in a daze. But then, when it finally clicked that it was just the two of us left, he just got worse. He became more and more abusive, angry, violent, punishing me for whatever little thing that came to him. He’d hit me, break bones, insult me, belittle me…lock me in the freezer.” He admitted, but then sent a pleading glance to Scott, who might not have been growling but his eyes were certainly glowing red at the thought of what had happened to his boyfriend.  
Camden turned around very slowly, looking at Isaac in disbelief.  
“He did what with the freezer?” he snarled furiously, his eyes burning with rage, and Isaac tried to wave him off.  
“He would lock me in it, but…”  
“There are no buts Isaac! He was our father, he should have protected you, looked after you, cared about you, and the vile bastard locked you in a freezer!” he stormed, and Melissa got to her feet, she could tell that yelling about their father’s misdeeds probably wasn’t going to end well with two werewolf teens in the house, with one a direct victim and the other dedicated to protecting the other.  
“You know your dad’s dead right?” she asked, her eyes flashing at the very thought, yes, he was very dead now, she and her mother had scattered various bits of him throughout the town to make sure no one could ever dig him up ever again.  
Camden took a deep breath and clenched his fist, and it was then that Scott figured he should calm down, it was like he saw a green flash ripple across Camden’s arm. Shaking his head to clear his eyes playing tricks on him, he looked to Camden, who nodded, breathing out.  
“Yeah, they told me when I came home, it was why I was so worried about finding Isaac. It’s weird, I mean, I was upset when I heard he’d died, because he’ll never know that I’m alive but…on the other hand,” he said, tailing off and Melissa fixed him with a knowing glance.  
“You don’t think he deserved to know that you were alive.” She said sagely, and he nodded before looking back to Isaac sadly.  
“Isaac, I’m so, so sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen, for you to be left alone with dad, we both know how he was going, what he became after mom died, I was going to get you out and…I’m so sorry that you were left with that, with him.” He whispered, and Isaac scuffed his feet sadly.  
“He wasn’t always bad…” he muttered sadly and Scott decided that any suspicions be damned, he was comforting his boyfriend, and he reached up and squeezed Isaac’s shoulder softly, and he could tell Isaac wanted to nuzzle into him but caught himself in time.  
“I know, I do kind of remember. The day I left, he actually said he was proud of me and that when I got back everything would be better, and I could tell he actually meant it. But then it all went tits up and you were left alone.” Camden lamented sadly, crossing to his brother and squatting down in front of him, only to be met by a perturbed glance.  
“I wasn’t that alone.” He complained irritably, ignoring the traces of tears in his eyes, and Camden smiled, patting his knee.  
“Ok, I get it, you’re all grown up now, Mr Independent. So, where did you go after dad died?” he asked, and Isaac looked at Melissa uncertainly, a slight smile playing on his lips, after all, this usually set her off onto a rant about Derek which would last at least a half hour.  
“Well I fell in with Derek so I stayed with him for a while.” He told him, skating over all of the supernatural shenanigans which had gone along with all that, only to be met by a sceptical look from Camden.  
“For a while? Why did you leave?” he asked, but to Isaac’s slight amusement, Melissa saved him the necessity of answering him.  
“Because Derek threw him out because he’s a jackass, he threw a glass at him in the process!” she yelled in a rush and as Camden turned to her in disbelief, Scott and Isaac exchanged amused glances.  
“He did what?” he snarled, and Scott decided that it was now imperative that they clear Derek’s name if only to see the fallout of that little revelation.  
“It’s fine, he was protecting me in his own, bizarre way.” Isaac assured his brother, who scowled, and Scott smiled.  
“Yeah, and then he came here and he’s been here ever since.” He summed up, looking lovingly at Isaac who flashed a smile back at him as Camden flared his nostrils in annoyance then smiled at the two McCalls.  
“Thank you, you know.” He began but Melissa waved him off.  
“Don’t think anything of it, he’s a pleasure to have around, and he’s more than welcome to stay here as long as he wants.” She said, slightly emphasising the word ‘stay’.  
“Ok, so you’re caught up on me now, so, I want to hear about you, like what the hell happened to you for five years in Afghanistan, so spill!” Isaac demanded impatiently and Camden laughed as he sat back down in his chair, Melissa following suit and sipping her wine.  
“Alright already, you know, you were an impatient runt when you were a kid as well.” He chided and Isaac gave him a smug grin.  
“Yeah, but I learned it all from you remember?” he challenged and Camden shot him a dirty look with no heat behind it as he settled back in order to tell his story.  
“Fine. Well, as you know, I was on deployment, patrolling Kabul, looking for any signs of the Taliban. We had stopped to help a medical convoy that was heading back out and one had burst a tyre so we were going to help them then send them on their way. And that’s when they attacked, they came out of a building that we had thought was clear. They attacked us, machine guns, mortar rounds going off everywhere. My squad was set on and they took down our commanding officer in the first salvo, and we were trying to protect the medical staff as well, it was chaos, there was screaming, blood everywhere, fire, and then they started using their rockets to blow apart the medical convoy. I was caught in the middle of two blasts, they hit our tank and the rear medical van during the attack, the blast knocked me back and knocked me out, I slammed my head into the ground and that was the last thing I remembered. When I woke up, I was their prisoner, trapped in this network of caves with the Taliban.” He said joylessly, and Isaac was looking at his big brother worriedly, while the other two would have been able to hear a pin drop.  
“Why did they capture you?” Scott asked softly, and Camden shrugged, sipping his wine.  
“No idea. I found out when I got back that half my squad was killed in the ambush but the others are still around. We saved most of the medical staff too, so that was something. But anyway, I was their guest for the next five years. At first they tortured me, beat me, starved me, you know, the lovely little part of the POW stuff that they don’t tell you about when you sign up. But as the war lessened, it became more a test of endurance, they would let me fight, mainly for their entertainment. I’ve no idea why they didn’t just kill me. But they were keeping me alive for whatever reason, so I wasn’t going to complain. There was Rakaisha too, she made it all a lot more bearable.” He recounted fondly, and Isaac looked at him curiously.  
“Who was Rakaisha?” he asked, and Camden smiled wistfully.  
“She was kind of like a slave girl, but she was more than that, I never did figure out what the actual deal was but their leader seemed fond of her so she was kind of left alone. She was kind to me, would talk to me, tell me stuff that was going on in the outside world, make me feel better, tend to me when they got a bit rough. She was the only good thing in that place.” He said, and Melissa could tell that Rakaisha, whoever she had been, was very important to him.  
“So how did you get out?” she asked, and he broke himself out of his reverie in order to continue his story.  
“Well Rakaisha helped me. She said she couldn’t let me stay there any longer, and she freed me so we could bust out together. Long story short, we fought our way out and got out of there and made it back to civilisation.” He explained quickly, and Scott looked at him, impressed.  
“So, the two of you fought your way out of a rat’s nest of Taliban soldiers? How did you manage that?” he asked, shocked, and Camden shrugged, avoiding his eyes.  
“We got lucky, they didn’t expect an attack to come from inside their own base, and because the tunnels were so narrow, it was a great help when we got out, we could fight them easier than we would be able to otherwise. So that was us, we got home and after that, we were safe.” He told them, and Scott looked at Camden uncertainly.  
“Really? Just like that?” he asked uncertainly, and Camden nodded.  
“Yeah pretty much. After that I got loads of debriefings and interrogations and all that sort of thing, then I was allowed to come home to try and find Isaac.” He summed up and Melissa looked at him curiously.  
“And what happened to Rakaisha?” she asked, and he suddenly looked a little evasive, which Scott spotted in an instant.  
“She’ll be coming later, there’s all sorts of stuff she has to go through before they’ll let her into the country.” He explained easily, but something didn’t seem quite right to Scott but before he could say anything, his mother interceded.  
“You’ve been through the wringer. Do you have a place to stay?” she asked, and he shook his head.  
“Not yet, I wanted to find my brother first.” He said with a grin and Isaac smiled.  
“Well I’m glad you did. Can, can he stay here?” he asked Melissa hopefully, and she smiled, winking at him.  
“Honey, I’m hardly going to send your long lost big brother out, especially with a prison break going on,” she said, her voice stressed as she sent a pointed glare at her two boys, “of course he can stay here, I changed the sheet’s in mom’s room anyway. And sadly I suppose that means you two will need to keep sharing.” She lamented, not at all liking the gleeful grin that suddenly appeared on both boy’s faces.  
“Really, you don’t have to.” Camden began but Melissa held up a hand.  
“Ah! Not another word, it’s about time Isaac got a break, and I’m not throwing his long lost big brother out onto the street, you can stay here as long as you need to ok?” she asked, and Camden smiled at her, blushing a little.  
“Thank you, that’s really nice Mrs McCall, but at least let me…”  
“Oh no you don’t, don’t you start trying to give me money, I’ve got enough with Isaac trying. Come on, let’s get you upstairs.” She said, leading Camden from the room, and that left Scott alone with Isaac, who immediately turned to face him with a beautiful smile on his face.  
“Isn’t this great? Camden’s actually, he’s really alive, he’s not a revenant or a figment of my imagination, he’s not dead, he’s really back, he’s really alive!” he prattled excitedly and Scott couldn’t help but smile.  
“Yeah he is, it’s about time you got a break.” He whispered, pulling Isaac to him tenderly and he nuzzled the top of Isaac’s head as he leaned his head on his shoulder.  
“Yeah…Scott my big brother isn’t dead, he’s back.” He whispered softly as Scott sleepily stroked his boyfriend’s hair.  
“So I noticed.” Scott purred, kissing Isaac’s head as his boyfriend looked up at him happily.  
“Oh for the record, he’s not the only break I’ve ever had.” He said sweetly, kissing Scott tenderly before getting to his feet and heading up to bed, beckoning Scott to follow him imperiously.  
Scott looked at where Isaac had vanished, the smile that he had put on Scott’s face with his comment sliding from existence as he contemplated what was going on. He was thrilled for Isaac he really was, like he had said, it was about time something went right for Isaac other than him. But…something just didn’t seem quite right about Camden. He didn’t want to think it, he didn’t want to even be contemplating that something was wrong with Isaac’s big brother, and he felt like a piece of shit for even considering that there was something amiss with Camden, but there had just been little hints, little things that made it so that Camden’s story didn’t entirely add up. And there had been that small flicker of green…  
He shook his head.  
No, he wouldn’t do that. They had confirmed that he wasn’t a revenant and that was enough of a victory for now. Isaac had his brother back, and he wouldn’t be the one to cast a pall over it, especially when he was just being paranoid.  
But…Isaac was his to protect too, so that didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep an eye on things while Camden was here.

XX

“You know I’m a banshee?” Lydia repeated in disbelief as she sat across from her grim faced mother as her mother glared at the mantelpiece for some reason before nodding darkly.  
“Yes. Don’t fly off the handle, I’ve only actually known since the other day, when you found that boy at the school. You see I was hoping, hoping that after you were attacked, that nothing would happen.” She explained, and Lydia shot her a filthy look.  
“I was losing my mind mom! I was screaming, hearing things…” she ranted furiously, beside herself that her mother had had some idea of what was going on and had actually kept quiet, letting her own damn daughter keep struggling in the dark and fear for her sanity rather than tell her what was going on.  
Natalie however, stood her ground, and shook her head.  
“Lydia, you need to calm down and listen to me! I know you’re angry, and I know I should have talked about this with you a very long time ago, but I kept hoping that I would never have to. Please, just let me explain.” She pleaded her daughter, and scowling, Lydia gave an irritable jerk of her head and waved for her to continue.  
“Alright. When you were attacked, I had an inkling of what could happen, but all the signs, the mud in the bed, the broken mirror, all of it, they were pointing to something else going on with you other than becoming a banshee. I thought you were safe, and then, after you brought back Peter,” she explained, only for Lydia to cut across, looking at her mother in shock.  
“Wait, you know about Peter?” she demanded, and Natalie nodded darkly.  
“We’ve met. But after that, I thought you were fine, and then, when you started finding bodies, I kept convincing myself that it was just bad luck, I hadn’t seen any of the signs, anything pointing to you being a banshee. There were clues, hints that you were caught up in the supernatural, but with the Argents and your friends, and let’s face it, this town, I just kept hoping and convincing myself that it wasn’t real, that it wasn’t happening. Until the other day, and I saw it, saw the way you were acting and I knew. You were a banshee.” Natalie said, sounding weary and helpless, but while she was still a little miffed that her mother had kept all of this from her, she was just relieved to be getting some answers at last.  
“But how do you know about banshees? How much do you know, about Peter, werewolves, kanimas and all of it?” Lydia asked desperately, and Natalie shrugged.  
“Not as much as I should. Banshees are really all I know about. You see, I lived my life in fear, that one day, I would wake up, and I would hear voices in my head, that I would be a banshee. But as time went on, I figured I had skipped it, I’d avoided it, and that I was safe. And then I has you honey, and instead of worrying what might happen to me, I worried about what might happen to you. You see, your father always wanted a boy, and part of me did too. The banshee gene for want of a better word, doesn’t pass on to males. Well they get it if it’s there, but they can’t become banshees, that’s only the girls. And I was terrified that you would become a banshee, that I would have to watch it all happen all over again, but this time to that tiny little girl who had an attitude as soon as she came out of me, and I was terrified that I would yet again be powerless to help.” She recounted, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at Lydia lovingly, and Lydia felt her anger dissipate.  
“Mom…” she whispered, as Natalie crossed to the mantelpiece.  
“Your grandmother was a banshee.” She admitted in barely more in a whisper, glaring at the urn that held her grandmother’s ashes on the sideboard and Lydia’s eyes widened as the full implication hit her.  
Her grandmother had been a banshee. She didn’t remember much about Lorraine Emery, but she did remember the two of them reading together when she was little, but she also remembered increasingly violent fights between her parents concerning her grandmother, and not long after that, she had never seen her again.  
“She was a banshee?” she breathed, and Natalie nodded as she touched the urn, her eyes filled with sadness.  
“Yes, she was. Not long after your grandfather died, mom started spending a lot of time with a woman named Maddy. You were too little to remember, and mom just introduced her as a friend of hers. It’s one of the things your father and I argued about, you were young and didn’t know what was really going on with them, and I didn’t care, Maddy made her happy, happier than she had been since dad died, but your father didn’t want her ‘corrupting you’.” She scoffed derisively, and Lydia smirked, looks like she was getting all sorts of answers tonight.  
“So that’s why he flinched last time he was in town and Jackson appeared with Danny in town, he had a problem with Danny because he’s gay. Huh, that explains why he never bothered to learn all my friend’s names, since there’s at least four who are gay. Homophobic asshole.” She snarled with a dark satisfaction, and was pleased about the small smile she brought to her mother’s face.  
“Point, though you shouldn’t speak badly of your father, a colossal douche though he is,” she admitted, making Lydia snort with laughter, “but that’s distracting me from my story. Anyway, mom and Maddy were together, and they were happy. But one afternoon, mom and her were out for lunch and some man knocked into her, and she fell to the ground. He tried to catch her, his fingers dug into her actually but he couldn’t catch her in time and she smacked her head on the ground. She was taken to hospital, there were afraid of brain damage, but they patched her up and she seemed fine, other than the marks where the man’s fingers had dug in. He even visited her and apologised, Deucalion I think his name was.” She recounted and Lydia’s eyes flashed, Deucalion! Figures that vile bastard would be somehow involved, but what had he done to her grandmother?  
“Anyway, mom was let out of hospital but they were still a bit concerned about her so were keeping an eye on her. She hadn’t been out of hospital long when she started having nightmares, dreams that something would happen to Maddy, that she was going to be lost in the lake. We all assumed it was just a fallout from her accident, paranoia or something, as she had started to lose time a little too, and they assured us that it was most likely a side effect of her head injury.  
And then, two weeks later, during a storm, Maddy was swept out of the boathouse at the lake and drowned.  
Mom was distraught, she could barely function. You see, she started hearing whispers in her head, like someone talking in another room. All she knew was that she had been dreaming about Maddy’s death weeks before it had happened, and now, she was hearing voices too. And as time wore on, it got worse. She could voices everywhere, these whispers, these mutterings. And she would go wondering, appearing at places just before someone died, mainly the hospital, and then, she would scream. The doctors started to say that her mind had been affected by her fall, but she was adamant that there was something more to it. Your father and I started arguing about it, he wanted to stick her into Eichen and be done with her. But I couldn’t help it, I agreed with mom, her fall didn’t explain all of this, the visions that she kept getting, the feelings that were driving her, even though we’d been to every surgeon and psychiatrist who we could find. She wanted to find out what was happening to her, you know your grandma used to work for IBM and she was using a lot of money to try and find answers, but we were getting nowhere, and just as I was finally wearing down and was about to suggest mom check into Eichen, just for a while, well, I was then that a woman appeared at the door, with a staff in her hand.” She told, and Lydia started as she heard this news.  
“Martagh…” she whispered in wonder, and Natalie looked at her in surprise.  
“You’ve met her?” she demanded, and Lydia nodded.  
“Yes. She appeared in town a couple of days ago. What did she want?” she asked, wondering if she could find out more information about her enigmatic would be mentor.  
Natalie allowed herself a small, sad smile.  
“To help. She came in, sat mom and I down, and explained it all. Banshees, that mom was one, that her fall had helped trigger it and said another supernatural creature was somehow involved, and that she was here to train mom, to help her cope, to deal with it. And she began training her, but mom…well she didn’t like being told what to do, and on top of that, she didn’t want to be a banshee. Martagh said it was because she had become a banshee so late in life it was harder for her to get her head around. At the same time, Martagh was training another apprentice, who had apparently slipped under her radar, a girl called,” she said before Lydia interjected.  
“Meredith.” She answered grimly, and Natalie looked at her in surprise as she nodded.  
“Yes, but how did you-? Never mind. Anyway, mom kept looking for a cure for this, a way to stop the voices, because even Martagh admitted that due to her being older, she would never be able to quieten them totally. Martagh tried everything, but because mom would never accept what she was, never admit to herself what she was and that she couldn’t control it, she couldn’t teach her properly, and mom kept trying to find a way to fix herself, despite Martagh telling her she couldn’t. She hired parapsychologists to try and help her, psychics and all other sorts of people, and all the while she looked for a cure, she was getting worse. Martagh tried to convince her to stop, that fighting it would only hurt worse in the long run but mom was determined.   
But without listening to Martagh’s teachings, the voices were starting to get the better of her. She was getting desperate, she was having visions, hearing voices, hearing screams in her own head and it was driving her crazy. So she went to Meredith for help.  
Meredith was Martagh’s prize student, she was learning to control her abilities. Martagh had nearly been too late to help her, but she was learning and adapting and was becoming almost normal. Mom…I’m about to tell you stuff you won’t want to hear. Mom was jealous of her, Meredith was getting what mom wanted, and she seemed to accept being a banshee whereas mom couldn’t. Meredith wouldn’t be cured, sure, but she was close to it, and mom wanted that, needed that. She met with a doctor by the name of Turnbull, and together, they planned to discover just what let Meredith cope with being a banshee, find out how they could cure mom. So mom asked Meredith to the lakehouse, to the silent room that mom had had installed to try and escape from the voices, and there…they performed experiments on her.  
What they did was horrible, they virtually tortured poor Meredith, playing with her head, and eventually they went too far. They broke something in Meredith, rendered her totally catatonic. But when Meredith broke, the silent scream or whatever it was, ripped mom apart. I always wanted to think it was guilt too, but whatever happened when Meredith broke it destroyed mom’s last grip on sanity. It destroyed her mind as totally as it destroyed Meredith’s, just not the same way. Martagh arrived too late to help either of them, and in her fury, she cast mom down. She explained it all to me and then, she took them both to Eichen House. Mom was nothing more than a ruined, dribbling mess after that, where Meredith, as a stronger banshee, did recover a little. But mom, in her quest to find a cure, and with what she did to poor Meredith, it destroyed her. The visions, the voices, not being able to control them, the screaming, all of it, and the fact that she was stuck with it, she couldn’t control any of it, and it destroyed her, totally. She didn’t last long, she couldn’t even eat after what she did to Meredith, and she died in Eichen. Its one thing your dad and I did agree on, that she shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near you after she started hearing the voices.  
Being a banshee destroyed mom, turned her into a monster, and what it made her do, to herself, to others…I’ve been terrified that it would happen to you too. I’m so sorry honey, I should have told you all this sooner, but I…” she said, but to her surprise, Lydia, with tears in her eyes, wrapped her arms around her mother in a hug.  
“I get it mom, why you didn’t tell me. Grandma was a banshee, but it destroyed her, warped her, ruined her, drove her totally insane. I get why you wouldn’t tell me about that.” She whispered, and Natalie sighed.  
“I loved your grandmother, but at the end…she became a monster, obsessed with searching for a cure that didn’t exist. She couldn’t control her powers, and Martagh said that to an extent, Meredith couldn’t either. Promise me Lydia, promise me that you won’t do the same thing. Promise me that you’ll listen to Martagh, that you’ll let her teach you. I lost my mom because she couldn’t accept what she was, couldn’t cope with her powers. I can’t lose my daughter too.” Natalie pleaded tearfully, and Lydia hugged her mom tightly, pondering what she said, and despite the answers she finally had…she still had a load more questions that needed answering.  
Perhaps Martagh was the way to go then, because if she wanted to avoid the same fate as her grandmother, she needed to get a handle on her powers before they drove her totally insane.

XX

“Will you stop playing with yourself?” Danny chided, only to receive a shocked look from the rest of the pack, and a snigger from Jackson, as Danny realised what he had said and cursed.  
Aiden, suitably chastened, stopped poking his new scar over his eye.  
“He’s right dude, it makes you look dashing. So, your grandma was basically like, I don’t know, some sort of mix between the chick from the Eyrie and Tywin Lannister?” Stiles asked excitedly, and Lydia looked at him in incomprehension.  
“I have no idea who these people are.” She said, and Stiles groaned and shook his head.  
“This pack’s nerd credentials need some serious work. Game of Thrones!” he exclaimed while Scott grinned.  
The entire pack were sitting in the middle of the park the next morning, which on a cool winter’s day was fairly deserted other than the ducks on the pond and a few dedicated dog walkers, which meant it was the perfect place for them all to talk, and also to keep an eye out for any sign o the Ghost Pack or any of the other assorted menaces currently in town. Lydia had called them all here, and Scott had to admit, he had been quite relieved when Liam (who had been given the clean bill of health by his stern and unimpressed step father who he had told he had stumbled down the stairs) and Garrett had both shown up. However the lack of Mason’s presence was probably something he had to worry about.  
“Well yes. But it explains why Martagh isn’t exactly the warmest of teachers, my grandmother destroyed her best student.” Lydia whispered in disbelief, and Jackson looked around nervously before reaching out and squeezing her hand, a move which Aiden noticed which resulted in his eyes turning blue in irritation but he said nothing.  
“It’s hard to believe your grandma was a banshee, and was so…in deep.” Kira muttered, and Lydia snorted derisively.  
“You think? I mean I could barely remember her, and now I’ve been told that she was also a banshee, but on top of that she was driven crazy and with the help of that doctor, she totally destroyed Meredith and took herself out in the process.” She complained and the twins exchanged a frightened look at the mention of the doctor, and Ethan was about to ask a question when Malia interrupted.  
“So did she say anything else?” she asked eagerly, as she, like everyone else, was just as relieved as Lydia to finally be getting some answers about her being a banshee.  
Lydia sighed, rubbing her face with her hands wearily before focusing her bleary eyes on the coyote.  
“Only that the voices got so much it drove grandma mad and that she kept having visions and finding bodies just like I do. Either way, Martagh knows more than she let on when she first appeared. It’ll be great fun learning from her later.” She lamented, and Garrett looked at her curiously.  
“What do you think she’s going to do with you?” he asked eagerly, having seemed to have taken the previous night’s revelation in his stride, in fact, he was coping with it best out of the three, but that was probably because Liam had been banged up.  
“No idea, but I suppose it needs to be to learn to tune out the voices or something like that, or be able to sense them before they happen.” She mused, and Ethan looked less than impressed.  
“I don’t see how she plans to teach all of us, we can look after ourselves…most of the time.” He admitted lamely and Scott allowed himself a dark smile.  
“I think that’s her point actually, and besides, if she can help, then good, I’m getting fed up of getting our asses kicked all the time. If she helps us, fine, and even if she helps Lydia get to grips with her powers it’ll be a win if you ask me. Speaking of wins, have you guys heard from Mason?” he asked the two younger kids hopefully, but Liam shook his head sadly.  
“No. He made sure I was alright last night but he hasn’t talked to us since, and we’ve called him, texted him, emailed him, you name it we’ve done it and he still hasn’t answered us. I think he’s mad at us.”   
Jackson looked at the younger kid in surprise.  
“Why would he be mad at you? I can slightly get why he’d be mad at us since we’ve gotten him involved in all this, fair enough, but you two are in the same mess he’s in.” he told them, and Garrett nodded, looking grim.  
“Yeah but we’re not freaking out like he is. I think because we actually are kind of dealing with it all, he’s pissed at us because he thinks we’re freaks for not going crazy about it. He just can’t get his head around that we can accept the fact that this is happening.” He explained, and Scott sighed, looking worriedly across at Danny.  
“Could you maybe talk with him? I doubt he’ll talk to one of us since he seems so freaked out and you’re virtually the only other normal human in the pack. And the last thing we need is for him to add exposure to our ever growing list of problems.” He sighed, and Danny nodded, though he looked sceptical.  
“Sure I can but if he doesn’t want to listen and is that opposed to the supernatural maybe we should just give him a wide berth? It is a lot to take in if he isn’t ready for it. Maybe we should let him come to terms with it first then try and make sure that he keeps his trap shut about all of us.”  
Scott had to admit he had a point, there was no point in forcing Mason into anything, he was having a hard enough time coping with it all as he was, forcing him might risk a danger of him never being able to accept the fact that the supernatural existed. It was an odd sensation really. When his mother had found out she had been initially reluctant to accept it but she had clearly realised that it was happening, Mason’s reaction seemed like he wanted to be left in the dark altogether.  
“I suppose we just need to let him sort it all out. It must be a lot to come to terms with, finding out the people you hang around with are actual secret monster crime fighters at night.” Kira mused, and Liam looked at her in interest.  
“Wait, do you actually fight crime too?” he asked, and she smiled.  
“Well we try to save people from the monsters trying to kill them, and ourselves from the hunters trying to kill us, so yeah, kinda.” She admitted as Scott turned to look at the younger boy.  
“How are you two doing with, well, us anyway?” he asked curiously, and Garret shrugged, looking unbothered.  
“I get why Mason is freaking, he’s never had to deal with anything remotely out of the norm like this before, he’s had a mostly easy life, the only time he ever got close to a fight was when Liam had one of his rages, he’s never had to even think that there was stuff this scary going on in the world, let alone stuff that could get him killed. I think it’s just a shock to his system, but yeah, you guys are part of the supernatural, provided you don’t go out your way to try and get me killed then we’re good. It’s kind of awesome in a way.” He said with a slight grin and Stiles gave him a tired smile.  
“Believe me the novelty soon wears off.” He quipped to which the others all nodded.  
“Liam?” Scott asked and the smaller kid shrugged, looking towards Garrett.  
“Well Garrett’s kind of right, yeah it was terrifying getting caught up in that last night with all the things trying to kill us, but, oddly, yeah. I mean sure it’s a shock, seeing what you guys can do, what you are, but you guys are obviously the good guys, you were trying to protect us after all. And the scary prisoner aside, and the sour faced one at the other end,” he said, pointing to Jackson which made both twins snigger as Jackson scowled, “you’re all pretty nice. I mean, if this town really is as bad as you guys all say, there’s not much chance we’ll be able to ignore what’s going on here anyway is there?” he asked, and Scott flashed him a smile, at the very least these two did seem on side.  
“Speaking of ignoring what’s going on, where’s Isaac?” Stiles asked innocently, as if taking a little delight in pointing out that he was here and Scott’s boyfriend wasn’t.  
After sending him a chiding look, Scott resolved to explain.  
“Isaac isn’t here because he’s catching up with his big brother, who, by the way, has returned from the dead, he arrived last night.” He told them as if it was an everyday occurrence, even though it was far from it.  
The entire group, other than the two youngest, went silent for a second and stared at Scott incredulously before Stiles spluttered out what they all wanted to know.  
“Wait, Isaac’s brother is alive? How do you know he isn’t a revenant?” he demanded, shocked by this news, and Scott shrugged.  
“Well he didn’t try to kill any of us, and it would be an awful lot of effort for Agravaine to go to just to get to Isaac when he’s already messed with his head bringing his dad back from the dead. Besides, mom phoned up first thing this morning, as far as we can tell, the government too, he is actually Isaac’s brother.” Scott reported, though he sounded less than thrilled about the fact.  
“Wow, really? I remember the military police going up to their door to tell Isaac’s dad that he’d been killed in action. Now it turns out he’s alive after all this time. I mean the guy was even nice to me.” Jackson reminisced, and Lydia smiled.  
“Despite you being the bratty, spoilt, obnoxious, smug, arrogant neighbour from across the road.” She teased, making him glare at her in annoyance.  
“Wait, so Isaac had a brother, and now has him again? I’m so confused.” Liam moaned.  
“Yeah he had a brother, he joined the army to get away from their dickhead father and the original plan was that he would finish his tour and come and take Isaac away, to get him away from their dad. But since they were attacked and he was captured by the Taliban, he was presumed dead…which now I come to think of it makes it kind of Camden’s fault that Isaac was even more abused than he was already being.” Scott said, his voice tailing off into a menacing growl.  
Stiles clicked his fingers at Scott impatiently.  
“Well never mind that now, tell us what happened with Camden, how is he alive, how does he seem, where’s he been, all of it!” he demanded, and Lydia looked at Scott musingly.  
“It would also do to know if he’s as attractive as his baby brother.” She mentioned innocently, but desisted when she received a glare from Aiden, Jackson and Scott.  
So Scott explained everything that Camden had told them the night before, the entire group listening with rapt attention.  
“Wait, so he killed his way out of a Taliban prison complex with this girl he met in there? Impressive.” Garrett commented, and Scott looked vaguely unsettled as he nodded.  
“Yeah, impressive.” He echoed distractedly, as the others all chattered amongst themselves, at least until Aiden spotted the look on his Alpha’s face.  
“Huh…so your boyfriend’s dead big brother comes back from the grave, but you don’t seem properly thrilled for him, so what gives?” he challenged, and Scott sighed, scowling as he did so.  
“It’s just his story, when he was telling it, it seemed like there was stuff he wasn’t telling us, telling Isaac, and it’s making me, I don’t know, it’s getting me agitated.” He complained, and Lydia shot him an unimpressed look.  
“Scott be reasonable, he was held prisoner for five years, his social etiquette is hardly going to be up to scratch. And besides, you and your mom are strangers to him there might be stuff he doesn’t want to tell you.” She reasoned and he had to admit, she had a point.  
“Yeah I know, but still, there’s something, not quite right. It’s like there’s more to it, but he’s keeping it from Isaac.” He complained, and Ethan looked at him in disbelief.  
“You do realise doubting his big brother is probably a good way to piss Isaac off right?” he asked, looking out for the interests of his best friend, and Scott growled in annoyance.  
“I know that! It isn’t as if I don’t like the guy, I do, he’s a good guy, I just don’t like the fact that he might be keeping something from Isaac, that’s all.” He protested, until Liam piped up from his seat at the picnic table.  
“Or you could just be jealous.” He suggested, and the entire table stopped their various conversations, all of them grinning with delight as they looked at their youngest member, who went red with all the attention, though that might also have been because Scott’s eyes had flashed red at the insinuation.  
“Excuse me?” he asked, but words clearly failed him and he went silent, but a grinning Garrett came to his rescue.  
“Huh, he might be right. After all, the entire school knows how close you and Isaac are, there were people in my year betting you’d get together even before Kira arrived, and even when you guys were split up it was obvious to everyone,”  
“Except them.” Danny interjected with a grin, though was silenced by a glare from the Alpha.  
“That you guys still loved each other. It’s been pretty obvious ever since he moved in with you that you’ve been his hero, his knight in shining armour and all that, and now you have someone who might replace you as Isaac’s hero and you don’t like it.” Garrett summed up, to nods and a small smattering of applause from the others while Liam sniggered.  
Clenching his fist in impotent rage, Scott snarled in frustration.  
“Maybe you’re more like Stiles than we thought.” Lydia teased, which only made Scott even more annoyed as Stiles also glared at her.  
“There is another thing though, other than you being jealous of not being the only significant male in Isaac’s life. Jackson, how old is Camden?” Kira asked curiously, and Jackson frowned as he considered it.  
“Um, I think he’s about twenty four, twenty five maybe, there’s six years between him and Isaac I think, and Isaac’s…”  
“Eighteen this year.” Scott supplied dully, realising that Kira had put her finger on the other part of Camden’s appearance that was bothering him.  
“Which means that until Isaac turns eighteen, once Camden finds his feet, he could become Isaac’s legal guardian, which means he would move away from you.” Kira said in sympathy, her eyes tender with compassion as the very mention of that fear made Scott’s will and mood seem to sag.  
“Yeah.” He mumbled sadly.  
The thought hadn’t even occurred to him at first, but he had seen his mom looking at Isaac sort of defensively, like a mother ready to fight for her cub but hadn’t thought any more of it, but that night, when Isaac had been cuddled into him, smiling happily and muttering about Camden and hedgehogs (where hedgehogs came into it he wasn’t quite sure) in his sleep it suddenly dawned on Scott that since Isaac wasn’t of age, and as Camden was, Camden could very well take him to move in with him, which means he would lose Isaac. Well not lose him, but he loved Isaac staying with him, and Camden’s arrival meant that Isaac might not even want to stay with him anymore, a thought which had kept Scott up all night.  
“Oh, never thought of that.” Stiles lamented, seeing the depressed expression on Scott’s face, but surprisingly, it was Malia who cheered him up.  
“But it will be up to Isaac won’t it? I mean you have sex and do kinky stuff, Stiles told me so, even with his brother back from the dead, you might still trump him.” She said brightly, and Scott grinned before he shot Stiles a pointed, angry look which made him laugh nervously.  
“What?” he asked, deceiving no one.  
“Kinky stuff? Just remember, if you take me down I spill all about yours too. Isaac taught me that!” he said cheerfully, and Stiles went scarlet, as the entire pack looked at the exchange in interest.  
“What kinky stuff?” Jackson demanded, Danny remaining silent but merely allowing himself a small, satisfied grin.  
“Never you mind. I’m fed up of psychoanalysing me, who can we pick on next?” he asked, and to his great surprise, the pack actually took this distraction as bids over Stiles, Malia, Jackson and Lydia went up for the next victim of their analysis.

XX

“Isaac?” Camden called from upstairs, but Isaac didn’t reply to his brother as he stood downstairs in the basement, looking at the very freezer that he had spent so many times being locked up in by their insidious father.  
The entire thing was so surreal. Not twelve hours ago, the newest band of enemies had come to town and had been trying to kill them all, and now, his brother had returned from the dead and despite vowing never to come back here, he was standing in the basement of his old house, staring at the freezer in which he had been locked so many times.   
His brother was back from the dead. After five years of believing that his brother was gone, and that he had been left alone with his dad, he was now suddenly not an only child. He had a brother again, and the entire thing was just so bizarre. Of course, he could tell that there was a little bit of overprotective tension coming from Scott, not that he could blame him, but, it so clearly was Camden. His brother was nearly exactly as he remembered him, from the day when he had left to join the army, promising that he would come back and that he would make sure that their dad wouldn’t hurt them anymore. Well, maybe not exactly, he was a little older and he was a lot thinner, but what could you expect from five years as a captive? His brother was home, and Isaac was determined that nothing was going to ruin that. He had a brother, a chance for him to be part of his own family again and not just part of another, great though that was.  
“Hey, you ok bro? Didn’t you hear me calling?” Camden asked as he entered the basement, looking worriedly at his younger sibling.  
“Yeah, sorry.” Isaac whispered, and nodding to himself, he crossed over to the freezer.  
Camden watched his brother’s silent progress intently. Melissa had informed him of some of the less than savoury things his father had done to his brother in his absence, and it was clear that the woman loathed his dad on sheer principle. After spending the morning talking with Isaac, finding out everything he had been doing during his imprisonment, he had ventured the idea of checking out the house, which Isaac had reluctantly agreed to, and Camden suddenly had the impression that Scott would be the only other person he would assent to coming here in the company of.  
“By the way, the woman who cleans the house, she’s growing weed in the airing cupboard.” Camden informed him and Isaac snorted a little in amusement.  
“Yeah, she’s also adopted that raccoon that you and dad kept chasing away from the back door.” He replied, squatting down beside the freezer, his hand touching it hesitantly.  
He inspected it for a little minute, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to control his emotions, but this, all of it, his father coming back and attacking him, being locked in the closet, Camden returning from the grave and now, being back in this house, where he’d been tortured, it was all a lot to take in as he panted, panicking slightly and despite his brother being right behind him, he could think of only one person, his anchor, the one he wanted to calm him down. Thinking of Scott, imagining Scott’s arms wrapping around him, kissing his neck and whispering soothingly in his ear, almost feeling Scott’s body heat right behind him, he felt his heart rate begin to slow, and for the first time he noticed something strange.  
The seal on the freezer was broken, as if it had been burst. Come to think of it, those chains had never been there before either. And as he hesitantly reached out, he pushed up the lid and saw his own finger scratches gouged into the surface, but there were also several deeper ones, like something a lot stronger had been frantic to get out…similar to the marks he had made on the cupboard door before Scott had shattered it.  
And suddenly, it hit him.  
Scott had locked himself in the freezer that night he and Allison had first encountered Jackson when he was the kanima. A strange feeling suddenly developed in his stomach, a strange sort of flutter as he laid his hand on the gouges Scott’s claws had made. Scott had locked himself in here, he had actually endured the same thing Isaac had.  
“I still can’t believe that he locked you in here.” Camden snarled as he approached his brother as Isaac shook his head, wiping his eyes a little.  
“He wasn’t entirely bad, not all the time.” He muttered as Camden squeezed his shoulder.  
“Still doesn’t justify what he did to you, I’d have killed him.” Camden muttered and Isaac allowed himself a small smile.  
“I’m glad you’re home.” He told him, and Camden smiled.  
“Yeah, me too. I’m just relieved you’re alright, that you’re not locked up somewhere, in a home or in prison or anything like that.” He said in relief and Isaac raised an eyebrow.  
“Implying that I would?” he demanded, pretending to be annoyed and Camden grinned.  
“Well, I am the smarter one. But with everything, well, I have to say I was worried.” He told him and Isaac shrugged.  
“Derek looked after me, and so have Scott and Melissa.” He said fondly, and Camden scowled at the mention of Derek’s name.  
“The guy who threw you out in the middle of the storm for no reason looked after you? Really?” he scoffed and Isaac rolled his eyes, he should have figured that would get brought up again.  
“Forget it ok?” Isaac intoned, and Camden nodded.  
“Ok, I get it, I’ve been an absentee brother, don’t have the right to come back and be all overprotective. Doesn’t mean I can’t break his legs or something.” He muttered and Isaac laughed.  
“So, you think I turned out alright?” Isaac asked cheerfully, taking a last look at the bust up freezer.  
“Yeah. I’m sorry though Isaac, this isn’t how I wanted any of this to work out, and then I come home and find out dad’s dead and he abused you worse than ever and everything…” Camden began but Isaac shook his head.  
“You couldn’t help that Cam! And like you said, it all turned out alright in the end, I mean, I moved in with Scott and I’m fine.” He said softly, wondering whether or not he should reveal one of the big secrets to his older brother.  
After all, Camden was always cool, he wouldn’t hate him would he? The supernatural bit would take a bit of building up to, look at the mess Mason was in at the moment, but that part he could at least tell Camden, while hoping that Camden could accept it…and that Scott wouldn’t be mad for bringing them out of the closet without his approval. Mind you he had done it with Allegra so it was only fair.  
“Um, about that…Scott seems really fond of you, that much is obvious, and it’s kind of clear that he’s very protective of you and I was just wondering, well, do you know if Scott’s gay or not?” Camden asked awkwardly, and Isaac, who had had the wind a little taken out of his sails with that question, just gaped a little before he allowed himself a small smile and prayed he was doing the right thing.  
“Well I kind of hope so, or you’ll need to break his legs for leading me on since I’m dating him.” He said nervously, and Camden visibly relaxed.  
“Oh thank god, I was worried I was going to have to tell you to let him down gently. Stop looking so worried, I’m not dad, if he makes you happy, then good for him. I mean, I’m now going to have to not like him on principle since he’s dating my little brother, but well, that’s just a perk of being your big brother and I’ve got five years to catch up on.” He said, clapping his brother’s shoulder and Isaac smiled in relief.  
“You’re really ok with it?” he asked, and Camden shot him a chiding look.  
“Isaac, one, I’ve been missing for five years so I don’t really have a leg to stand on if I come back and tell you how to live your life. And two, it’s obvious how much you guys care about each other and he clearly makes you happy. If he wasn’t dating you, I’d say he’s an alright guy.” Camden said with a grin and Isaac grinned back.  
“Yeah he is, he’s great. And thank you for moving into the guest room.” He said cockily, and Camden looked at him, puzzled.  
“What do you mean?” he asked, though he had a sudden feeling he didn’t want to know.  
“Well, when Melissa’s mom arrived, I had to move into Scott’s room, and now you’re here, I’m still in Scott’s room…” he teased leadingly, making Camden stick his fingers in his ears and sing loudly.  
“La-la-la, not listening, I don’t want to hear about Scott doing sexy things with my little brother! Jeez. The house is manky and probably needs gutted, but other than that, and well, down here, it’s in pretty good nick, even my room’s virtualy the same way I left it, you know, a mess.” He admitted which made Isaac look at him curiously.  
“You never said why you wanted to come here, I mean all the stuff I figured you’d want kept I took.” He said, and Camden smiled, clasping his shoulder.  
“I know, thanks for not throwing away all my stuff. Though I notice my comic collection seems to have been adopted.” He chided and Isaac grinned.  
“Hey I get a paycheck now, and besides, one of the twins works in the comic shop, it’s kind of like my duty. By the way, there’s some awesome comics you need to read.” He told him as Camden lead him from the basement.  
“Cool, I can sit back and relax with them. Well, I did kind of want to see the house, and besides, I needed to check it out anyway. I wanted to get a rough idea of how much work needs done before we can sell it.” He told his brother, who looked at him in shock.  
“Wait, we’re selling the house?” he asked in disbelief, and Camden shrugged.  
“Well I figured, since I don’t really want it and I didn’t think you’d want it. Besides, after all this legal stuff of me coming back from the dead is sorted out, I’ll be able to afford a place of my own, I wont need this place. You ok with that? I mean for now it is technically your house since I’m not legally alive again yet.” Camden pointed out, and Isaac nodded.  
“Sure, I mean, I don’t want to spend any more time in here than I already have, too much happened.” He said, and Camden nodded.  
“I understand. I’ve got a meeting at the lawyers this afternoon, I’ll try and figure things out then, or at least start to. Hey, what do Scott and Melissa like to eat, I’ll pick it up on my way home.” He offered, and Isaac grinned.  
“You realise she’ll nag you right? But Mexican is always a winner.” He advised and Camden made a noise of pleasure in his throat.  
“Hmm, Mexican, I’ve not had any decent fatty fast foods in years, Mexican it is. Things are going to be different now baby brother, I won’t leave you alone again, I promise.” Camden assured him, and Isaac gave him a half smile.  
“Hey, stop it, I know you didn’t do it on purpose. All I know is my brother’s back from the dead so that’s all I care about, and as far as we can see, you’re not a zombie, which is a plus.” He said, entirely serious, not that Camden thought he was.  
“That’s true. You ok? It can’t have been fun for you going down there, or even coming back here.” He said, indicating the house behind them, and Isaac turned to face it before nodding.  
“Yeah I’m good with it. I think I needed to in a way. I mean I’m not glad I did, but I’m ok with the fact that I did. Kind of laid it all to rest.” He muttered, and Camden ruffled his hair gently, only for Isaac to swipe at him, styling his quiff back into place.  
“Good. I’m proud of you little brother, how well you’ve done, despite everything.” Camden complimented and Isaac smiled.  
“Thanks Cam. And I’m glad you’re home. It’s cool having my big brother back.” He said, grasping Camden’s wrist as Camden smirked.  
“Yeah, kind of cool finding my baby brother after all this time too. Ok, I’m going to head to the lawyers, you want me to drop you anywhere?” he asked, and Isaac shook his head.  
“No it’s fine, I’m meeting Scott and the others soon anyway. See you tonight.” Isaac said and gave his brother a final hug before heading off in the direction of the train yard.  
Camden watched as Isaac waved back to him as he made his way to meet the other kids. Despite five years of worrying, of fearing what hell Isaac was being put through by their father, or wondering if he would ever get home to him, he was finally here, he was home, and Isaac was doing fairly well all things considered.   
And now it was time to get his and Isaac’s life back on track, starting with bringing himself back from the dead in the eyes of the law. Checking he had Melissa’s number stored in case he needed some sort of backup, he was about to get into the car when his arm pulsed green along the veins and he hissed in vexation.  
“Patience!” he grumbled as the flare went down, the luminescent green flickering across his arm.  
As he climbed into the car, he sighed wearily. He’d just gotten Isaac back and he had no wish to jeopardise that for any reason, but he also hated lying to him. He wasn’t outright lying to him, just lying by omission, but still, he didn’t like it. He had five years worth of a relationship with his baby brother to rebuild, and he didn’t want to continue by being dishonest with him. But this, what he was hiding from him, there was no telling how he might take it, no matter what he did.   
And he wasn’t quite ready to risk that quite yet.  
So steeling himself, he started the car he’d hired and headed for the lawyers, wondering just how long he could manage to keep this from Isaac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were getting there in theory we should finish this episode with the next chapter, but you never can tell
> 
> So, banshee revelations and Camden is hiding something, but what is he hiding? 
> 
> Until next time, kudos and comment please!


	22. Episode 4: Fraternity Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter begins to worm his way into the heads of the pack, Martagh begins the packs training and Lydia sees a glimpse of her possible future

Two-Pack II

 

“So that’s the entire story, the entire sordid affair that you were oh so kind enough to introduce me to, thank you so very much.” Lydia grumbled as she paced the middle of Derek’s loft.

Peter groaned as he looked at her, looking supremely unimpressed.

“Lydia, as I’ve told you countless times, I have no interest in listening to a whining teenager who thinks she is the centre of the universe. You know what I want, I want my daughter.” He told her simply, and she glowered at him, looking at him as if he was crazy, which to be fair he probably was.

“And as I’ve told you, you aren’t going to get your claws into her as long as I’m around.” She told him curtly before stomping over and flopping into the chair opposite the couch where he was lounging, his eyebrow arced at her actions.

“Not that I don’t enjoy our little visits but as you hate me for various reasons, most of which I feel is just you being a typical ungrateful teenager I might add, but why are you here Lydia? It’s not as if we’re good friends, after all, as you frequently remind me I’m the one who drove you crazy and introduced you to the world of being a banshee, an action which gives you a gift many would kill to have I might add.” He told her, and she scowled.

“I know someone would kill to have it, that’s why the blasted Pombero is trying to kill me! What I want to know, ugh, I don’t even know what I want to know!” she stormed, and Peter smirked slightly to himself, this was almost going to be too easy.

“Well, since you blame me for your evolution into a banshee, as it was my bite that wired you into the complex network of things that only banshees hear, I’m assuming you want to know that if everything that you’ve just learned, especially about this Martagh, are true, and if you really can trust her with your life, and to train you so that, just for once, rather than find the dead bodies, you would be able to prevent the deaths, no more Ericas, no more Boyds, no more Allisons…is that about right?” Peter asked coolly, looking at her with that permanent smug expression that he always seemed to sport, and while she did send him a vexed look, she did have to admit, he was right.

She had no idea why she was even here. After the revelations of the night before, and after picking it over with the pack, her mind was just spinning with the ramifications of everything that she had learned. And without even meaning to, she had somehow managed to find herself here, ranting and raving to a supremely unimpressed Peter about the entire thing. But, damn him, he was right.

She was stumbling around in the dark. She had been since she had found out that she was a banshee, finding dead bodies and having no idea how she did it, and having no clue how to prevent the deaths that she felt. Peter could justify it as being linked to some cosmic radio if he wanted, but she wasn’t buying it. And now there was this person, who could apparently teach her, but she was involved in the tragedy of what had happened to both her grandmother and to Meredith, and now she was expected to trust her and pray that this Martagh really was on the level, and if not, that she and the pack would be able to escape whatever fallout there was if she was lying.

“Well, as you know I haven’t got much use for other people, they tend to overcomplicate things, but, think about it Lydia, this woman appears now, after you have lost your best friend already as you were unable to understand what was really going on,” he purred, enjoying the little flicker of emotion he caused her at his words, “and claims to have all the answers that you’ve been looking for. That’s suspicious enough, but then you find out she’s involved in your own family history, it’s just, well, it seems rather curious that she should choose now to appear, wouldn’t you say?” he challenged, and he saw a flicker of uncertainty appear across her face.

Yes, Peter was a liar, and a manipulative bastard, they all knew that, but that didn’t stop him being right about this. They knew next to nothing about this Martagh, and she wouldn’t be the first person to come to town for reasons of vengeance after all, in fact, that seemed to be the main reason people did come here, it wasn’t as if they came for the scenery.

“But there’s also your pack as well…you’re not sure that they can be relied on either are you? After all, the entire pack fought the Pombero before, but, well, it didn’t turn out well for them, and still nearly got all of you killed. And from what I hear, your little escapade last night highlighted the flaws in your pack…and its leadership. They would fight to defend you, of that I’m fairly certain, but, well, could they really save you from this Scuffock if she turns out to have less than honourable intentions towards you?” he asked, his eyes glinting with malice as she turned away, his words echoing in her head.

That was her fear. Martagh was involved in what had happened to her grandmother, and her grandmother was also linked to what had befallen poor Meredith. And now Martagh, who had lost two apprentices due to her grandmother’s actions, was in town in order to apparently teach her what it meant to be a banshee. But they had no guarantee that she was really on the level. How did she know that Martagh would even teach her properly? That she wouldn’t use her position as Lydia’s so called teacher to warp her, and in time, destroy her? Her grandmother had struggled with being a banshee, as had Meredith to a degree, and in the end, they had both been driven insane. Admittedly Lorraine’s actions hadn’t helped, but in the end the burden of being a banshee had destroyed both of them, that was what was at the root of all of their problems, the fact that they, like she, had been made into something they had never wanted to be. And now, necessity was forcing her to rely on this Martagh, who, after all, had no reason to even trust Lydia and could very well be here for revenge. Sure, there was no hint that she did want revenge…but there hadn’t been one with Jennifer either.

And he was right about the other part as well. The pack was all very well and good but every time they had faced the Pombero, they had come off the worst, she had flattened them. Even Scott, the true Alpha, had had his ass handed to him the first time they had encountered her, and they hadn’t fared much better the second time either. And that was just the Pombero, Martagh had fought the thing twice and had technically gotten the better of it. If she wasn’t on the level, could the pack defeat Martagh as well as the Pombero?

Peter smiled as he watched Lydia thinking everything over, the rising levels of panic. The Scuffock appearing had come at exactly the right time, and the threat she posed was exactly what he needed in order to get inside Lydia’s head.

“Well look on the bright side, the rest of the pack will be there with you at your training session. And I gather Derek is absent from the prison too?” he asked, enjoying the shocked expression on her face immensely, and she glared at him suspiciously.

“How did you know that?” she demanded, and he smiled at her patronisingly.

“Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies. Now, considering the time shouldn’t you be running along to your first lesson of Banshee 101?” he challenged, thoroughly enjoying himself, and severely rattled, she gave him a final glare as she headed for the door.

“Whatever you say. And if she turns out to be evil, well, I’m going to try and make her come after you first. And if nothing else…you still won’t get your hands on Malia.” She vowed cattily before leaving the loft, Peter chuckling as she departed.

Reclining back into the couch, he allowed himself a small smile. He was getting to her, at last. There was a bond between them, a bond that she didn’t want to exist but she knew it was there, and he would exploit that bond, twist it, and hence her, into a weapon that he could use against the true Alpha.

Lydia, Jackson and Malia, his holy trinity, the three of whom, with just a little help from him, would totally destroy Scott’s pack, end his reign and allow Peter to right that final wrong, because after all, he was always the Alpha.

He was just about to get up and pour himself a celebratory glass of wine when his phone vibrated. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he checked the text to see that it was from Agravaine, and he was telling him to get a move on with his plan to rip apart the pack.

Smiling smugly to himself, Peter sent him a quick reply to let him know that he had already taken steps in that direction, and with a little help from him, he would manipulate the pack into a position of his choosing.

And then, he would use his three weapons and with their help, he would rip the pack apart from within, without even having to get his hands dirty.

Settling back into his spot on the couch with wine in hand, he silently toasted himself and his plan, and wondered just what the Scuffock would be teaching the pack, and how he could even managed to turn that to his advantage.

 

XX

 

“Numerous traffic violations on top of everything else.” Parrish reported, dropping the bundle of reports onto his desk, and a very weary sheriff glared up at his deputy.

“And you’re telling me this why?” he asked weakly, and Parrish gave him a grim smile.

“Well they all belong to a certain group of kids…” he began and John groaned, waving his hand at him irritably.

“Alright I get it, wait, all of them?” he demanded, wondering why on earth the kids were speed racing through the town when there was a blasted jailbreak going on.

“Yeah, but if it’s any consolation, from the looks of the pictures they were being chased by something or other, but all I get is blurs.” The younger man lamented, and the sheriff groaned and decided that following up on traffic violations could wait until he had talked to his son and found out just what had happened last night.

Last night had been one of the worst he had ever had on the force. Despite finding several prisoners trussed up and waiting for them in the woods (he could make an educated guess as to how they had wound up in that position) there was still a substantial number of escapees, and deaths that they had to sort through. He was rather glad that the local prison only had just under two hundred inmates, one hundred and seventy three to be precise, otherwise the entire thing would have been a lot worse. Around sixteen had been killed in the various explosions and fires that had ripped apart the building, letting the prisoners out into the open. A further eight had been killed by the various law enforcement agencies that were desperately trying to regain control of the prison. Four had been placed under citizen’s arrests by brave individuals who had been caught on the motorway when the entire thing had gone down, and another twenty one had been found in the woods waiting to be picked up in various states of disrepair. Twelve had been so determined to loot the prison that they hadn’t even gotten out of the place and were still there when the law enforcement forces had retaken control.

Sadly, that still meant that there was over one hundred prisoners running around amok, and though other local forces had rounded up a few more, there had still been a good number that had managed to escape, all of whom varied in the severity of their crimes. To make matters worse, there had apparently been an unregistered prison on the maximum security floor with Derek, and he, along with their imprisoned werewolf, were both missing too. Along with that, various other menaces had also escaped, including the entire Callavera clan which accounted for at least thirty of the inmates that they were still missing at any rate, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t have to look far from his own borders to find them.

And then there was the loss of the prison itself. It would take months to even sift through the wreckage of the building, so there could very well still be people missing beneath the shattered walls and the burnt out husk that had once been the prison. Very few of the prison officers had survived either, most of whom had been killed by their emboldened charges. It was like something out of the comic books, a prison break, and what was more, there was no reason behind it, at least they couldn’t figure out why anyone would bother doing it. It just didn’t make any sense, no one stood to gain anything, at least not as far as he could see.

And the losses that they had suffered…

“How you doing son?” John asked, and Parrish faltered a little as the memories of finding Mikaela’s dead body burned back into his brain again.

He had entered the building with Parrish, determined to try and find any survivors who could help them retake control and they had found the massacre site of the staff who had been caught in the reception area. Parrish had scouted the place out and had initially missed her body, but as they waited for backup, he had found her, rushing to her side and begging with her dead body, sobbing in remorse while John had grimly laid a hand on his shoulder as a shaking, sobbing Parrish had closed her eyes, burying his face in her dead body, and when reinforcements had arrived, it had been Parrish who had borne her broken body from the building.

“Surviving.” Parrish answered grimly, and John fixed him with a sad, consoling look.

“I am sorry son. You can…” he began, but Parrish shook his head, eyes burning and glinting at the same time.

“No. I’m more use here, besides, I’m no good to anyone staying at home moping.” He answered gruffly, and John allowed himself a small sigh, the two of them had clearly just been starting to fall in love, and now any potential they could have had had been tragically cut short.

“We’ll find whoever did this I swear. Now, where do we stand on recapturing them all?” he demanded of the room at large and it was a grim faced Elba who answered.

“Another couple of good Samaritans picked up two in a citizen’s arrest, and the FBI managed to catch five in a sting operation, but nothing much more than that.” He reported, and Sands nodded.

“Yeah, our patrols picked up three at random but other than that we’re getting nowhere fast.” He lamented, while Haigh snarled in frustration.

“And now, scumbags like Hale are running around laughing at us because we can’t find them!” he stormed, and John shook his head, scowling at his noxious deputy.

“Haigh, there are proven murderers, rapists, arsonists and all sorts running around out there, so call me old fashioned, but they take higher priority than Derek bloody Hale! He isn’t even a proven murderer, so if we find him, fine, but I’d rather more dangerous proven criminals are rounded up first, savvy?” he snapped (not the least of which reason was that he had a creeping feeling in his stomach that Derek’s escape may have been aided and abetted from outside forces with glowing eyes…)

“On top of that sir, there were six suicides last night too, and only one was after the prison break so we can’t even blame that, something weird is going on in this town.” Claris complained as she shook her head over the reports, and John exchanged a dark look with Parrish.

“Hmm, perhaps it’s time you and I investigated this nemeton problem you told me about, because something is making this town sick, spreading violence, murder, suicide…and that blasted tree seems to be at the root of all our problems anyway, so let’s go have a look at it.” He decided, and glad to be out of the station, and the sympathetic looks of his colelagues, Parrish nodded while the sheriff scowled.

Over a dozen suicides, of all ages, in a few days. That was definitely new. And if Parrish was right, and the nemeton was sick…he had a feeling that the deaths were only just beginning.

 

XX

 

The Berserker chittered to her in it’s strange language, and Kate narrowed her eyes as she beheld the warehouse where the Callaveras had fled to.

Last night had been a surprise. While she had been delighted to have a go at Peter (who, she might add, seemed rather powerful for a lowly Omega), the loss of two of her Berserkers to the pack hadn’t done her mood any favours, and it was clear that Beacon Hills had become a sort of convention site for every muppet trying to kill Scott, which she had a sneaking suspicion all linked back to Peter in some way. Now she was two Berserkers down, the town was rife with all sorts of people who wanted Scott dead, and what was worse, the entire Callavera clan, the most moronic group of hunters in the business, had escaped prison and would now be looking for revenge on the very pack that had locked them up in the first place.

She needed Scott, she and her father both needed him if their plan was to succeed. Things were just too new right now, the appearance of a True Alpha hadn’t sunk in yet, and as a result, the various factions of the world were only just beginning to realise that the world was starting to change.

Perhaps later she could risk letting Scott die, but at the moment, she needed to protect him.

And that meant that she would need to deal with the Callavera clan.

She tapped her teeth with her fingernail while her Berserker bodyguards stood, hulking and hissing behind her, lamenting the loss of their brethren. In reality, she would be quite happy just slaughtering the lot of them, after all, most of them were an insult to the title of hunter, and the fact that Scott’s neophyte pack had managed to get them all arrested didn’t exactly instil her with confidence in their abilities. The loss of Araya had made a group that was already only barely competent and had made them into something worse than that. And if they discovered that one, she was actually the La Loba they were searching for, and two, that she was the one who had killed Araya, even she would be hard pressed to stop the entire clan, even with her hulking bodyguards.

But…on the other hand, the Callaveras were leaderless. In the hour she and her Berserkers had been spying on them there had been three fights between the ones who seemed to be trying to claim Araya’s crown for themselves. Hunters needed a woman to lead, and what was more, they needed an enemy to fight.

She could provide both, and kill two birds with one stone.

And with those dogs in town, and the pack needing to be kept occupied at the very least, the Callaveras could very well be a blessing in disguise.

Albeit a very good disguise.

Smiling to herself, she beckoned to her Berserkers as she left her vigil. She had things to plan.

 

XX

 

“We’re going to get our son.” Mr Whittemore declared, actually standing up and moving to go through to another room, ignoring Argent as he rolled his eyes.

“Did you miss everything I just said?” Argent demanded irritably, and Mrs Whittemore flicked her hand at her husband.

“Sit down.” She snapped irritably, her frightened expression turned on Argent as he sat patiently in their sitting room, feeling like he was trying to talk sense into the statues on Easter Island.

“As I informed you, Jackson is in very real danger, and the two of you running off to Beacon Hills could put both you, and him, in greater danger.” Argent explained patiently, and Jackson’s father scowled at him.

“You mean I now need to trust my son’s life to that stupid little numbskull who locked Jackson in the back of a prison van? He isn’t bright enough to thread a sentence together and you expect me to sit back and let him ‘protect’ my son?” he demanded, and Argent found himself with a new found respect for both Scott and the sheriff, dealing with Jackson, who was a privileged little shit at the best of times with an obnoxious smug personality to match, was bad enough, but his father, whose sense of entitlement seemed to make him think that the world revolved around him and hence his decision was the right one and hang the rest, well, he didn’t know how the sheriff had coped with this moron on a regular basis.

With Jackson’s parents at the very least clued in to their son’s werewolf nature, Argent had told them the very bare bones, that the Ghost Pack had captured Jackson and had sent him to Beacon Hills as part of a move to get to Scott and leave him open to attack. He hadn’t mentioned the fact that Agravaine had poisoned him, or the nature of Jackson’s arrival in the town, and he was rather glad that he hadn’t, his father in particular seemed determined to do whatever he wanted regardless of any consequences for him, his wife, his son, or the pack, deciding that what he wanted to do was the best course of action heedless of what Argent was telling him.

Argent fixed Jackson’s father with a steely glare.

“Scott was trying to save Jackson at that time, and was in fact the only person who was actually bothering to try, your son has a way with people you see, he doesn’t endear himself to a lot of people…something he clearly picked up from you,” he said tartly, enjoying the outraged expression on Whittemore’s face, “and Scott won’t let anything happen to Jackson now, not if he can help it. But for him to do that, he can’t have Jackson running off half cocked. This pack means serious business, and the entire intention is to keep you two out of harm’s way, and Jackson as well, as far as possible, and running off to Beacon Hills will put you right in the firing line.”

Whittemore glowered at him, looking very angry.

“Aren’t you listening? We came here to get away from all the supernatural crap that your family brought to town, and now my son is caught up in it, I refuse to sit back here and let that certified idiot try and get my son killed!” he stormed and Argent got to his feet, his heart pounding in fury.

“Listen to me very carefully. Your son is a werewolf, which means he has absolutely no chance of escaping the supernatural that exists in the world. And, because he was raised wanting the best of everything, and always have the best of everything, he actually wanted to get caught up in all this because he couldn’t stand the fact that Scott was better than him at something, so he brought this on himself, despite my every effort not to make him do so. That idiot you describe tried to stop him but he didn’t listen, so Jackson involved himself in this willingly. Now, the Ghost Pack is trying to get to Scott and as Jackson is a member of his pack, they attacked him first. We don’t know if they have a way to get to you, but there’s every chance that they could, in order to try and lure Jackson out. So, what you are going to do, is you are going to get me some of Jackson’s things, and then you are going to sit down and shut the hell up because you really have no idea what you’re dealing with, and then I’ll leave and go to try and save your son. How’s that sound?” Argent challenged, and Jackson’s father spluttered in furious rage before his wife took over, silencing her husband with a glare.

“Enough. I’ll get his things. But please…at least let him talk to us.” She pleaded, and Argent nodded solemnly.

“Of course. I will protect your son. And for what it’s worth…Scott will too, and he’s a much better Alpha than the one who made Jackson into a wolf to start with.” He told Whittemore curtly, who was still scowling and spluttering about being talked to like an idiot in his own house, which Argent allowed himself a small triumphant smile over.

“Please…protect my son.” Mrs Whittemore begged Argent as he prepared to leave with a bag of Jackson’s things in hand, and he nodded.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help the kids.” He vowed, and Whittemore glowered before extending his hand and shaking Argent’s.

“I know you know more about all this than we could ever hope to, so just…make sure that Jackson is safe.” He asked curtly, and Argent gave a final nod before leaving the house, only to find Natasha and Gareth sitting outside in the jeep he had hired, waiting for him.

“So, you all ready to go?” Gareth asked hopefully as Argent threw the bag into the back beside Natasha and he nodded, climbing in to the passenger seat.

“Yep. You two sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, looking in his mirror at Natasha in particular and she sent him a cold smile.

“What’s the matter, don’t you trust me? Don’t worry, I’m hardly going to shoot at your pack when the Ghost Pack is in town, they’re much more exciting game. But are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked sharply, her cold brown eyes narrowed at him in the reflection he was seeing, and he considered for a second before allowing himself a small nod.

“Yes. Allison wouldn’t want me to let her friends suffer, Scott, Isaac and Lydia least of all, so I’ll do whatever it takes to save them from whatever’s after them. Just follow my lead when we get there, things could get messy.” He advised, and Gareth smirked.

“My favourite type of situation. Hey what are the chicks like in Beacon Hills?” he asked hopefully, making Natasha snort derisively and Argent give him an unimpressed look as he started the engine.

“What did Maggie send out anyway, she told me there was a case before I left.” He said as Gareth honked the horn, yelling at the driver to drive on the right side of the road.

Natasha puckered her lips thoughtfully.

“Something to do with a lot of Beta wolves being killed, across different packs, very weird. Um Gareth, they drive on the other side of the road here remember?” she asked, and Gareth let out a weak chuckle as the line of traffic he had caused by going the wrong side swore, gestured and raged at him, gesturing helplessly.

“Strange. A load of Betas?” Argent asked again as Gareth, now on the right side of the road, began the long journey towards home.

 

XX

 

“Thanks, oh I haven’t tasted anything so good in months!” Derek moaned lustfully as he consumed the Jack in the Box burger that Braeden had brought him, her eyebrow quirked in amusement as she watched him stuff his face.

“Well you’ve been locked up for months, I figured you could use a little guilty pleasure…besides the garlic butter on it is awesome.” She said, sitting down inside the train carriage that he had made his temporary home.

It was strange now, all the times before this she had always seen him with a desk between them, handcuffs too (not in the good way either) but now, he was out, if not free, and for the first time they actually had scope to explore their…was it really a relationship?

“You’re amazing. I’ll make it up to you, once I get cleared of these murder charges.” Derek promised, his mouth full of burger and she smiled slightly, raising her eyebrow.

“Yeah but that involves you getting yourself cleared, which we still have no clue how to do, and would also involve leaving the Thomas the Tank Engine Memorial Museum here.” She pointed out, but he waved his hand, in a very good mood and supremely unconcerned.

“Details. Now I’ve got some food in me I can get down to getting my name cleared, and then, taking my veritable angel of mercy, out on a proper date to someone other than Jack in the Box, awesome though this burger is.” He said, chewing thoughtfully, a big smile on his face and Braeden laughed a little.

“You are in a very good mood, I’ve never actually seen you in a good mood, it’s weird.” She teased, and he smirked.

“Well I’m out of jail, even if it was a jailbreak, I’m getting decent food, I’m not stuck staring at the same cell for hours on end and I’m back doing stuff I’m good at, avoiding the newest supernatural monstrosity to come to town.” He said, and Braeden sent him a playful uneasy look.

“You’re positively chipper, I think I preferred you being a sour wolf, happy Derek just doesn’t sit right with me.” She protested and he grinned and was about to pull her down to sit beside him when Martagh swirled into existence in a storm of autumn leaves.

“Salutations. Yes this place will do…this place stinks of garlic.” She complained, wrinkling her nose and sweeping from the train leaving a slightly perturbed Derek glaring after her as Braeden sniggered.

The pack was trickling in, and Martagh looked up in approval as she saw the two new kids appear and hang back, Garrett looking incredibly interested in what was going on while Liam was a bit more reserved and was clearly looking around anxiously for Scott.

Malia and Lydia entered together while Stiles checked the insides of his jeep, which had developed a clunking noise which didn’t sound at all healthy.

“Well why would you go and talk to him when he’s evil incarnate?” Malia demanded incredulously, and Lydia sighed in vexation, shrugging, but thinking that it might be due to her desire to make sure he never got his hands on his daughter.

“I don’t know, it’s just…ever since he helped make me a banshee, it’s like there’s a bond or something between us, and he does have a point…if she is a bad guy, we can barely stop the ones we’ve got, never mind her too!” she exclaimed as she looked nervously at Martagh who was muttering to herself as she cast her staff at various items to get the train yard ready for the pack’s training.

Malia looked worriedly at her friend’s retreating back as Stiles stomped in and stopped beside her, looking grumpy.

“Stupid lousy jeep…what’s up?” he asked, taking Malia’s hand and she growled, her eyes glowing blue.

“Peter…” she growled, heading to explore the yard, and after giving his girlfriend a confused look, Stiles hurriedly went after her, curious as to what she had meant.

Scott entered, looking around eagerly for Isaac, he hadn’t seen him all day and well, what with everything going on and Camden appearing, he was feeling a tiny bit possessive, after all he was only human, and besides, he missed Isaac, they’d been virtually joined at the hip since getting back together except for going to work and now…

“Wow, he really does have it bad for Isaac.” Jackson commented as he entered, rubbing his arm self-consciously, and Danny grinned, clapping Scott’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry Casanova, he’s just coming.” He assured him, Jackson grinning smugly as Scott glared, which dissipated as soon as Isaac entered.

“Hey, how was-?” Scott began as Isaac crossed to him, wrapped his arms around his neck and brought his boyfriend into a deep, passionate kiss which Scott felt rather obliged to return, his hand snaking up Isaac’s back as Isaac’s lips pressed against his, savouring his boyfriend’s taste, and when his boyfriend finally broke the kiss, Scott was left feeling a little giddy and breathless as Isaac leaned his forehead against his.

“Wow, hi…um, I’m in no way complaining but, what on earth did I do to warrant that, cause I want do it again.” Scott breathed huskily.

Isaac nuzzled him with his nose, looking into Scott’s warm brown eyes as he ran his fingers through the hair on the back of Scott’s head.

“Cam and I went to the house. I saw the freezer.” He whispered softly, and for a moment, Scott was completely at sea, what house, what freezer?

And then, as Jackson sent Isaac and Scott an odd look (which Danny poked him in response to) it suddenly clicked just what Isaac was talking about.

“Oh, your freezer!” he realised and Isaac nodded, nuzzling him gently, his hand wrapped around Scott’s.

“I can’t believe you locked yourself in there.” He whispered and Scott shrugged.

“I was trying to protect Allison that’s all, I bust out of it when I heard Jackson attack her.” He explained, but Isaac gave him a soft smile.

“Yeah…but you actually get it, you actually went into that damned freezer, you know what it was like…and you broke out of it.” He mumbled, and Scott realised what he was really getting at.

Even just by being in the freezer for a small period of time, he now had a personal experience of one of Isaac’s fears. True he had always known about it, about what his father had done to him repeatedly, but by going into the freezer and willingly locking himself into it, he had given himself a link to something vital, though awful, from Isaac’s past, a way to relate to him that no one else had. By even entering the damn freezer in the first place, Scott had gotten a taste of the same hell that Isaac had been through, and as a result, could relate to him more than anyone else, even with everyone who knew about it.

And what was more, Scott had broken it open. Isaac knew he hadn’t broken it open for him, but he had broken it open. Scott, his Scott, even if they hadn’t been anywhere close to getting together at the time, had been the one to destroy the freezer that had so terrorised him and ruined his life at every opportunity. Scott had, in his own way, broken the legacy of his father’s abuse, he had destroyed the freezer he had used as a weapon. Scott smiled as he mused on it, that meant, in his own way, without meaning to, he had been Isaac’s own avenging knight in shining armour.

“So…are you telling me I’m your hero?” he asked playfully and Isaac kissed him again, his tongue entering into Scott’s mouth hungrily, and Scott moaned a little in pleasure as he did so.

“Hey! Get a room, this is a family friendly show!” Lydia yelled as the two reluctantly pried themselves apart.

“Basically…yeah I am.” Isaac mumbled softly into Scott’s ear, kissing his cheek and Scott could feel himself getting hard, there was mischief kindling in Isaac’s eyes…tonight was looking like it was going to be a good night.

How awesome.

“Quickly now, I don’t have all day, I’ve got a week’s worth of Ellen episodes to catch up on.” Martagh said bossily, chivvying the pack to sit at the numerous barrels she had put into position to act as seats, while Liam looked nervously at Derek, who flashed him a predatory smile which Braeden hit him in response for.

“She’s so bossy.” Lydia complained from her seat beside Kira as Martagh began to pace before them, her staff clicking against the floor as she did so.

“I am here to train Lydia, as she is woefully unprepared for any threat that comes to town. However, as I’ve noticed during the fights I’ve seen you in, as a pack, you are woefully inadequate to even protect yourselves from the flu let alone the Ghost Pack, the Pombero, the Owlman, the Berserkers and the hunters that are in town. Indeed, you are lucky that the Callaveras are well known as the most idiotic hunters in the world.” Martagh said, smirking slightly at the increasing waves of hostility rolling off the pack.

“Hey, we’ve managed so far.” Scott snarled defensively, Stiles and Isaac nodding vigorously behind him in support, and Martagh raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed? How you did so is a miracle. But as of now, I shall take over your training, and by the end of it, you shall truly be a pack to be reckoned with. So let us get down to business! Derek and Scott would you join me please?” she asked, waving her staff and with that, a pile of barrels formed into a ring which the two wolves, glowering at their new teacher, stood in the middle of.

“I shall begin by evaluating your fighting skills, see where we need to focus on. So, as nature intended please.” She ordered, sitting down on a barrel and crossing one leg over the other, and Derek looked at her in confusion.

“As nature intended…you mean naked?” he demanded weakly, and Braeden’s expression lit up, while Martagh fixed him with a withering look.

“No you twit, the top half will more than suffice, I don’t want anyone staring in disbelief at your willy suspension. Come on get on with it.” She ordered and both wolves scowled at her but complied, and Stiles was sure that he heard Isaac give a sort of appreciative purr as his boyfriend revealed his toned body to the room.

“Hey, tell Mason what he’s missing, that might get him here.” Danny suggested to Liam, not noticing Ethan’s scowl as his gaze lingered a little longer on Derek’s shirtless body than strictly necessary.

“Begin!” Martagh barked, and Scott and Derek roared and leapt at each other, claws out, the two arguably strongest wolves in the pack going at each other.

“Why do they need their kit off? Not that I’m going to complain…” Lydia muttered, and Kira, who was ogling Scott ever so slightly so that Isaac wouldn’t notice, arced an eyebrow at her.

“You won’t be saying that if she makes us let everything loose.” She said with a shudder, and Stiles grinned.

“Hey, me, Jackson and Aiden won’t complain.” He pointed out, only to be quelled by a look from Malia.

“It is ritual, like a crucible. Adversity, harsh training…we’ll get to that later.” She promised with a wink as the pack watched the battle between Derek and Scott.

It wasn’t pretty. Well, Scott was but the fight itself wasn’t. Scott was always on the move, defending himself at every opportunity, letting Derek keep striking at his impenetrable wall of defence before taking advantage of Derek leaving himself exposed and exhausted from hammering at Scott too much. When Scott attacked, his attacks were simple, but he was clearly incorporating the sort of acrobatics that the twins used as well, which, combined with some surgical strikes, and the occasional burst of strength, meant he was rather good at overall combat, and to his surprise, he could see Martagh nodding in approval as he and Derek sparred. Derek however was clearly using his height and strength advantage, and seemed rather at a loss to counter Scott’s well balanced form.

“Enough. Interesting. It seems young Alpha that I misjudged you. Your overall combat form is good, you were clearly surprised by the Pombero. You use a moderate, balanced form, with influences of different techniques, and you lean more towards the defensive, when facing someone like Derek, that can be an advantage.” She said, and Scott grinned, quite proud of himself, as he only had one scratch and one bruise, whereas Derek hadn’t fared quite so well.

“You Derek however, focus on your strength to win battles. While you should use your strength to your advantage, you must lose your caveman approach, strength isn’t everything, technique is required. Isaac, Ethan, next.” She ordered as Derek scowled at her.

“I’ve not had a problem before now.” He protested and she snorted derisively.

“Really? Peter, Jackson, Ennis, Kali, Deucalion, the twins, the Nogitsune…should I go on? Did I miss any that have soundly kicked your ass?” she asked tartly, and with that his previous good mood evaporated and he returned to his default sour wolf expression.

“There’s the Derek we all know and love!” Stiles crowed as he thudded down on the seat beside Braeden who had stuffed her hand in her mouth to stop giggling.

Isaac and Ethan then stripped off, and with that all of Danny’s interest in Derek vanished as he focused on Ethan while Scott feasted his eyes on his shirtless boyfriend sparring with Ethan. However, it wasn’t long before Martagh got to her feet, scowling and shaking her head as she stood with the rest of the spectators.

“No, no, no! Isaac, who taught you how to fight?” she demanded irritably, and Isaac shrugged, nursing a scratch that Ethan looked positively mortified that he had landed as he was looking at Scott in fear.

“Well, Derek.” He said lamely, and Martagh rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance.

She then promptly turned and slammed her staff into the middle of his head, making his eyes cross at the unexpected blow, and he yelled in pain.

“Ow! Son of a bitch that hurt, what the hell did you do that for?” he snarled, and she shook her head.

“You taught Isaac to fight how you would fight, using your upper body strength to overwhelm your opponent, when anyone with a pair of eyes can see that he clearly isn’t suited to that! He’s tall yes, but he’s more elegant than you, and doesn’t have as much upper body strength. No wonder he gets kicked around. No, Isaac’s should be surgical, use precision and strength, not sheer brute force!” she ranted and moved to correct Isaac.

And so it continued, Scott letting out a little growl every time Ethan landed a hit but once Martagh corrected him, Isaac clearly had the upper hand, using some defensive moves but going for critical, surgical strikes that sent Ethan reeling, and occasionally using some of the acrobatics that Ethan was using in his own style against him, though without the ferocity. With that she was satisfied, commending Ethan’s ferocious, acrobatic style but noting that he was clearly used to fighting with his twin backing him up.

Aiden and Jackson were then paired together, and Lydia went strangely silent as she observed her two shirtless former lovers go at it. The match was a lot more ferocious than the others, leading to Garrett commenting that they were clearly trying to impress her. Aiden’s style was very similar to Ethan’s, but didn’t rely on his twin as much, and was a lot more ferocious and used anger fuelled strikes to push his advantage on Jackson, who was clearly struggling against Aiden’s onslaught, eventually toppling to the ground, hissing in pain as he clutched his poisoned arm.

“It hurts too much…” he panted, holding his arm, as Martagh squatted beside him, looking at him musingly.

“Hmm…your technique relies on strength, but clearly in your present state that isn’t a good idea…try slashing upwards instead of down, you aren’t extending yourself so much then, placing as much strain on yourself.” She counselled, and growling, eyes glowing, the two boys went at it again, and this time, while Aiden’s anger fuelled style still forced Jackson back, he still kept his feet and landed a lot more hits than before.

“Practice will be needed of course, but if you persevere, your technique could be most unorthodox and effective. Aiden, your technique is good, but you clearly intend to rely on your twin too.”

Next up, to their surprise, was Danny and Stiles. Having never really fought like this before in either case, the entire pack was curious to see exactly what happened between them (though some for less academic reasons than others). Stiles used a simple, defensive technique to protect himself from Danny’s very similar style, however Danny’s had echoes of Scott’s approach in it, while Stiles used taunts and kept talking in order to distract Danny in his attack.

The girls were after that. To Kira’s relief (to Stiles, Aiden and Jackson’s dismay) Martagh allowed them their underwear as well as she watched the two of them fight. Having never really been a fighter, Lydia was of course thrashed by Kira, and was on the floor within seconds of each bout starting, to Martagh’s increasing disgust and impatience. However, she did get some of what she was looking for, from Kira more than Lydia. Kira’s style was mostly along the lines of what Isaac’s was, elegant and graceful, with her own acrobatics and power put behind it. Lydia’s however was a purely elementary form, simplicity personified which Martagh sniffed at but seemed to accept.

Malia and Braeden were then pitted against one another, Braeden’s form seeming like a slightly less boisterous version of Derek’s but she had a little bit more grace about her as she did it. Malia’s however was quite acrobatic and ferocious, reflecting her wild nature as she chipped away at Braeden’s defence.

“Very good, we have a place to begin. Young ones you as well, you’re part of the pack whether you want to be or not.” She ordered and both Liam and Garrett exchanged shocked looks.

“Um, what?” Garrett asked in disbelief and she shot him a bemused look.

“I have a week’s worth of Ellen episodes to watch, can we hurry this along?” she demanded tartly, and both younger kids looked at each other in terror but Liam did hesitantly pull his top off and Garrett, scowling at the Scuffock did too, and they too entered the ring.

“Hmm…” Scott muttered musingly a sentiment which his boyfriend shared as the two began to spar.

The two of them were both strong in their own way. Liam was the more nimble, using his small, lithe form to dodge and weave around Garrett, and when he got an opening he would unleash a punishing offensive on his friend, ferocious and strong. Garrett’s was quite similar though he didn’t use the same amount of acrobatics as his friend did, relying on his superior strength and eventually Martagh called a halt.

“Good, we have a beginning. Now before we go, let’s see what you’re really made of. All of you, into the ring. I have here a cookie for whoever manages to land a hit on me.” She said brightly, and Liam, shivering a little and leaning towards Garrett, looked at her nervously.

“Reckon that’s how she gets people, with cookies?” he asked and Garrett sniggered.

“You mean we get to attack you? No problem!” Derek said smugly, to approving nods from the pack, and Martagh stood in the centre of the ring, a small smile on her face.

“Try me.” She challenged, beckoning to them with her hand, and the entire pack leapt at her.

It wasn’t nice, it wasn’t pretty. Tried though the entire pack did, Martagh was just too good. Her staff was everywhere at once, sending the twins hurtling away with a girly yelp, Kira was felled with a shriek, and that was just the first run. Her legs and arms then joined her defence, the pack forced away from her time and again. While she did pull her punches with the humans, she was still less than delicate with them, both Liam and Garrett groaning in pain on the ground. Derek was felled by a particularly underhanded blow while Lydia was hammered into the ground. Even when Scott’s bloodlust was at its peak when she took out Liam, Stiles and Isaac in a twirling attack, he too was stopped in his tracks and crashed down to the earth.

“Excellent, it is a start. You work fairly well as a pack that much is clear. And I shall eat my cookie while watching the episodes of Ellen I have recorded. Until our next sessions, glad tidings.” She said and with a tap of her staff and a smug satisfied grin, she vanished in a swirl of autumnal leaves leaving the groaning, battered and bruised pack on the floor in her wake.

 

XX

 

After the entire pack had hobbled out of the train yard, and Derek had gone to die with dignity in his train, Braeden wincing with every step she took as she joined him, Malia had got into Stiles jeep, his face ashen as he drove them away. He briefly watched as Scott and Isaac used their powers to heal Liam and Garrett as much as they could, the two younger kids still hobbling and wincing as they headed for home, and then Scott began to fret over Isaac who shooed him away.

“That Martagh chick…she’s a real bitch!” Stiles groaned, rubbing the lump on the back of his head ruefully his bones cracking with the punishment they’d endured, and Malia was surveying her myriad of bruises.

“Take me to the loft.” She ordered and Stiles looked at her in shock.

“Um, why?” he asked, a little thrown by the strange order and she growled menacingly, her eyes glowing blue.

“Peter is getting into Lydia’s head. I want to stop him.” She rumbled menacingly, and Stiles shook his head.

“Sweetie, remember what I told you about him? Satan on earth himself? We don’t want to go see him trust me.” He told her, and she shot him an unimpressed look.

“I know, but I don’t want him messing with her. So, we’re going to go and see him and let him know it’s not a good idea.” She said determinedly, making Stiles groan and shake his head.

“No, Malia, we aren’t, ok, I’m putting my foot down!” he insisted with an air of finality.

Five minutes later they were outside Peter’s door, Stiles scowling and grumbling about his girlfriend who had a superior smirk on her face as Peter slid open the door, and Stiles immediately felt his foreboding increase as Peter’s eyes flashed with delighted malice as he beheld the two of them.

“Well look who it is…Wil E, and Roadrunner.” He purred, and Stiles glared at him.

“Was that the best you could come up with?” he demanded and Peter favoured him with a small smile.

“On short notice yes. Now what can I do for you fine specimens?” Peter asked in his soft voice, his eyes focused on Malia, and Stiles was beginning to resent the attention he was paying to his girlfriend.

Malia glared at him angrily, her eyes glowing blue which for some reason brought a slight smile to Peter’s lips.

“Lydia. Stop messing with her head, she has enough problems without you joining in too, so whatever it is you think you’re doing, cut the crap.” She demanded and Peter chuckled as he looked at her blazing expression, noting that Stiles expression was very similar, only with a healthier dose of fear about it.

“My what a bold little madam you are. Though I appreciate someone who will go out of their way to protect a friend, you have a certain sureness about you that’s really quite wonderful, refreshing really.” He complimented her and Malia scowled.

“Save it. Leave Lydia alone, you’ve messed her up enough.” She growled and Stiles glared at him too.

“You’ve messed all of us up, why did you even bother coming back here?” he demanded and Peter affected an innocent expression.

“Well this is my home Stiles, and my poor nephew might need me, wherever it is you might have stashed him. And for the record, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, Lydia came to me and I talked with her, nothing more than that, no law against it.” He said as though butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

“Yeah, but we both know you’ve got some ulterior motive. Whatever it is, keep away from the pack.” Stiles snarled and Peter chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind Stiles. My, both of you are quite spunky…you know, you both remind me of me a bit, when I was younger. I feel like there’s a bond between you and I in particular Malia, very similar, in many ways…” he whispered, reaching to take her cheek and she snarled at him, Stiles hand clasping hard around Peter’s.

“Leave her alone.” He growled, and Peter chuckled as he saw the little flash of the power that he still wielded within him.

“Hmm, it seems Malia and I aren’t the only ones who are alike are we Stiles…a pity, I imagine your eyes would be a lovely, icy shade of blue.” He gloated and Stiles glared at him, his lip wavering, Peter relishing his impotence before Malia took back control.

“Shut up. Look, I don’t know you, or your game, but stay away from Lydia.” She ordered and with that she turned on her heel and took Stiles hand, leading her glaring boyfriend away from Peter, who had to have the last word.

“We’re all killers you know, we’re alike in so many different ways, after all, we could almost be family!” Peter taunted, Malia and Stiles not actually picking up on what he was getting at as they vanished from sight.

Yes, between Lydia, Malia, Jackson and Stiles…this would definitely be easier than he had thought.

 

XX

 

“And why are we here?” Lydia demanded, sticking close to Martagh as they swept through the corridors of Eichen House, the cries of terror, the yells of the inhabitants echoing through her ears.

Martagh allowed herself a small smile.

“We’re here because I’m caught up on Ellen.” She responded, and Lydia glared at her so called teacher’s back.

“Yeah well I have my own tv shows to watch you know. I thought we were done for the day.” She complained, and Martagh sighed.

“Such an impertinent apprentice. My job Lydia is to keep you alive, to train you. I failed your grandmother, and I do not intend to repeat that mistake.” She said coldly, and Lydia reached out for her, clasping her by the arm.

“I know what happened between my grandma and Meredith, how you trained them both. Mom told me.” She explained, not liking the dark look that passed across her teacher’s face.

Martagh took a breath, regaining control of herself as she fixed her apprentice with a steely gaze.

“And that is why we are here.” She said in a tight voice, and Lydia hurriedly followed as Martagh set off again.

Still recovering from the beating come training session Lydia had been intending to sit back and allow her bruises to start to heal when Martagh had blown into the living room, claiming she had something to show her. A second later they had been here, in the lobby of Eichen House, and now the two of them were sweeping down corridor after corridor, Martagh apparently knowing where she was going.

They turned down another corridor, when suddenly Lydia came to a stop, her gaze focused on a large, thick metal door that looked different from all the others. Martagh continued a few paces before she realised her companion was no longer right behind her and turned.

“What’s down there?” Lydia asked, her voice odd, and Martagh nodded in slight approval, she had wondered if Lydia would be able to sense it.

Martagh gave the door a grim look.

“That is the door to the sub-basement…to those who, for whatever reason, are unable to be helped. Eichen House holds many mysteries…most of which you aren’t ready for yet, but I shall explain in time. For now, I shall say this, there are those down there the likes which would strike fear even into the Ghost Pack.” She warned and before Lydia could ask her any more, she swept away up the corridor.

Nettled with that non answer, Lydia harrumphed but followed her mentor anyway, who, a corridor later, finally came to a stop outside a room.

“Alright, what the hell? You show up out of the blue, bring me to the asylum, tell me there’s things held here that would scare one of the scariest guys we’ve ever seen, and all of it is without a word of why we’re actually here!” she stormed, and Martagh fixed her with a dark look.

“This is why we’re here.” She said sadly, opening the door, and Lydia started as she saw who was sitting inside the room.

It was Meredith. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, talking to herself, muttering about the voices, the screams, the whispers. She was doodling a shape in her bed covers, whispering to herself, and then, she turned and saw Martagh and Lydia in the door.

And with that she promptly screamed, Lydia rearing back in pain as the tortured sound of her cry assaulted her senses. Martagh grabbed her arm to steady her and with a tap of her staff, they were suddenly outside the building, leaving Meredith screaming to herself.

“What the hell?” Lydia demanded, gearing up for a major diatribe but relenting when she saw the crushed expression on Martagh’s face.

“As you know, Meredith was my apprentice, the same time your grandmother was. Unlike Lorraine, Meredith, while I did get to her later than I ought to, was able to cope with being a banshee. She was on the cusp of losing her mind when I found her but I was able to heal her fracturing psyche. She quickly became my greatest student. But…I failed. I focused so much on Meredith that I didn’t see what was happening to your grandmother. I was training her, teaching her, yes…but not what she needed, she needed more attention, and consumed with my golden girl, I neglected your grandmother. The voices began to drive her mad, and with that, it stoked her jealousy. By the time I realised what your grandmother was doing…it was too late. She was too far gone. I arrived too late to save either of them.

I didn’t bring you here to show you my failure. I didn’t even bring you here to show you what your grandmother did. I bought you here to warn you. Meredith…she is a broken creature. But…she was already breaking when your grandmother destroyed what was left of her mind. Meredith is now, what all banshees hope never to be. She is the epitome of what can happen. She is the shattered remnants of a person driven to destruction by the voices. Untrained, untamed, she is now what a banshee could become if they do not receive the instruction they need.

Meredith is a banshee that I let down. Your grandmother exacerbated her condition yes, but she who was once my greatest student is now my greatest failure.

So that is why I brought you here. You might not like my methods. We might fight, violently. But my dear Lydia…that in there, that is the fate from which I am trying to save you. I will do everything in my power, but if you don’t want to end up like that, then you must meet me halfway. I will teach you everything I can, everything I know, if only to make sure that you don’t become another Meredith. But…however much you might resent it, resent me…you will need to be willing to accept it…lest you become a broken ruin of a being like what befell poor Meredith.” Martagh said softly, her eyes beginning to fill with tears as she looked at Eichen, sniffing sadly as the scream of her former apprentice echoed across the air, and beside her, a terrified Lydia shook quietly in terror, fearing that glimpse into her possible future, and dreading what was to come.

 

XX

 

“Lydia?” Natalie asked, having heard a noise in her room, but it was odd, she was fairly certain that her daughter wasn’t in, so what was causing the noise?

Then it dawned on her, and she sighed in relief. Prada, who had ran out of the house for reasons unknown, must have come home. That would be it. The little dog would be starving, and she intended to give her a piece of her mind before feeding her for worrying her and Lydia like that.

Smiling, she headed for the door.

“Prada, you’ve been a bad girl, come here to mommy!” she called, pushing open the slightly ajar door, and stopping short in her tracks.

The humped, gnarled old woman with the gaping hole in her throat most certainly wasn’t Prada. Giving a silent cackle, Natalie opened her mouth to scream, but with a single gesture, she was struck silent and the musty smelling old woman leapt at Natalie…and her world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that my lovely people we are officially a third of the way through the tail, we've done the first quarter of episodes and now the action will start to build
> 
> I shall be taking a little break from Teen Wolf, but once I update Battlestar which shouldnt take long I shall be back with episode five, but you have plenty to ponder until then
> 
> If anyone can recognise what I was getting at with the pack training forms, there may be a bonus in it for them... ;)
> 
> Liam and Garrett werent going to be trained originally but after that picture of Dylan Sprayberry in Hero magazine, they were bumped into action. What will Martagh's training hold? What is Peter up to? And will Lydia succeed...or will she be destroyed like Meredith?
> 
> And most of all, what does the Pombero have planned for Natalie?
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


	23. Episode 5: Maternity Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agravaine launches a blitzkrieg on the town, the pack rallies to the defence and an unlikely team up has victory in its sights

Two-Pack II

 

The video store hadn’t long reopened, not after whatever had killed one of the cashiers in the building all that time ago, which, as the pack knew, had actually been Peter in his monstrous wolf form stampeding through the place. But a few weeks ago, it had opened once again and had been bright, shiny, new…

And with a blast of noxious looking fire, the window exploded out into the street, spewing smoke into the air as the Ghost Pack barked in approval, laughing wildly in some cases as they returned to their human form.

“Not that this isn’t fun, but why are we doing this?” Thane asked, shattering the window of one of the parked cars as the two gytrashes snarled and barked, slashing the tyres of other parked cars.

“Scott seems resistant to our advances my friend. We need him, I need him, and I shall not be denied. This little escapade this evening will demonstrate the consequences of defying me.” Agravaine purred, flicking his finger and a jet of flame crashed into a parked car, setting it ablaze.

“Yeah but hardly anyone rents videos anymore.” Malakai pointed out as he returned to his human form, and Bonnie nodded.

“Yep, they all use Chickflix or whatever it’s called to download it all.” She said, and Rhyley rolled his eyes, grinning.

“Netflix you mean.” He chided, and she waved her hand, unbothered.

“Same difference.” She dismissed, and Agravaine smirked as Ciara stomped up, looking most displeased.

“There’s no one in there, they mustn’t open till later, besides, it’s only just gone nightfall.” She complained, and Agravaine smiled, taking her chin in a father like manner.

“Which is why my dear you’re getting let off the leash.” He whispered and her and Malaki’s eyes expanded in delighted malice.

“Really?” Malakai asked eagerly, almost salivating at the thought of going on a rampage.

“Yes my boy.” Agravaine responded, and Eoghan smiled, but then cast an untrusting look at the sky.

“What about the Owlman?” he asked, and Agravaine sniffed dismissively.

“He is of no consequence, he’s welcome to have a go if he thinks he’s hard enough!” he called into the smoke filled night air, but as predicted, received no reply.

“So we can do what we want?” Rhyley asked hopefully, and Agravaine wagged a finger at him chidingly.

“Now Rhyley, you know better than that. You can do what you want…provided you demonstrate the consequences of refusing me. This town is Scott’s to protect…we shall begin with that. We shall cause a trail of havoc across town and then if he continues to refuse me, then we move on to the ones he holds most dear.” He said dangerously, his eyes flashing yellow, and with that he brought his hand down as though starting a race, and his pack barked in furious joy, turning into their dog forms and running off into the night, barking and howling as they headed into the night to carry out their leader’s bidding.

 

XX

 

Charles and his wife Opal were the owners of the café in which Isaac worked, and they had decided that with Lunar now more than capable of keeping the younger clientele off their hands for the night, they had closed up early in order to go out and have a nice dinner somewhere, however they had barely stepped foot out of the café when they saw it, a skeletal, ghost like beast with shining red eyes and saliva dripping from it’s mouth.

Behind him, Charles could feel Opal clutching at his hand in panic.

“What on earth is it?” she breathed in terror, and he edged back towards the locked café door, praying they could get in and shut the door and pray that it wasn’t as ghost like as it looked.

“I’ve no idea but let’s just back up slowly.” He said in his calming voice, belying the fact that his heart was pounding in terror as the snarling dog approached, its hackles raising.

There was then a bark as another creature, smaller than the first, leapt into view, standing in front of the other one and snarling at it, the bigger one looking at its companion curiously before appearing to shrug and stalk off, following the smaller one away from the two terrified café owners.

“And you wanted to come back to Beacon Hills!” Opal snapped, hitting her husband in the shoulder as he held her to him, holding her as she shook in terror.

 

XX

 

Caleb, Adam and Levi had been going to the bowling alley to meet up with the girls and have some fun, but that hadn’t quite worked out the way it was planned. Instead, they were now running away from a massive sort of bulldog with fire belching from its cheeks that was snarling and barking at them as it pursued them.

“Did it really?” Adam breathed in frantic terror, and Caleb cast a frantic look back to see to his horror that the beast was still following them.

“What, rip that guy’s throat out? Yeah!” he cried as the beast leapt, snarling angrily, cutting off their path as smoke swirled around it, its evil yellow eyes glowing with malice as it stalked towards them, its mouth opening and revealing the glowing yellow fire inside its mouth.

“Oh god, oh my god it’s going to kill us, it’s going to fucking kill us!” Levi panicked and the beast appeared to chuckle before turning tail and vanishing down the next street, leaving the three terrified teenagers shaking in fear behind it.

 

XX

 

“No!” Clyde yelled as he and Caitlin watched as their bouncer, Bob, was ripped apart by a massive hulking beast with a face like a bat.

“Close the door!” Caitlin screamed, her girlfriend vanishing and being sacrificed was bad enough but now evil giant dogs were ripping people apart, Bob had been lured out of the relative safety of Lunar, which wasn’t even open yet, to check who had been screaming like a banshee and why, only for him to find two massive beasts having ripped apart two young girls who seemed to have been trying to come into the club early, and then, one of the beasts had turned on him too, leaping at him and ripping his throat out before he could even react. And now both beasts had turned their creepy soulless black eyes onto the doors to Lunar, and it looked like Clyde, Caitlin and the other remaining terrified staff, were next.

“Close the door!” she screamed again, shoving him out of the way and slamming it shut and putting the deadbolt in place, crying out in terror as the doors rattled as the monster on the other side slammed into it with all its might.

And then the other joined it, both dogs barking evilly, determined to get in and massacre the terrified inhabitants of the club.

 

XX

 

The ice cream parlour was burning, which was bad enough, after all, there was acts of war, and there was setting the ice cream parlour ablaze, that, that just crossed a line. Regardless of the burning building, it was now the whists, four mutilated, headless zombie mutts that were guarding it that were of the greatest concern to the two teenagers on the motorbike, the engine revving as the toxic billows of smoke wafted towards them.

The bike then lurched forward, an angry snarl coming from the driver as he crashed into what had once been a boxer, sending the mutilated creature hurtling through the air with a whimper, watching it land in the fire with some satisfaction. The driver then turned his head in panic as his passenger flipped off the bike, landing catlike on the ground, right in the centre of the three whists and completely at their mercy. The three whists then leapt at him, but he was already on the move, one of his ring daggers slicing into the open neck of one of them and severing the spinal cord with a vicious slash as he span out of the way of the other two, and as his whist victim dropped to the ground, his boyfriend sprang from his bike and heaved one whist into the air, throwing it into the flames leaving only one which the two boys stuck their claws into before the driver used his strong claws to rip the beast in two.

“What the hell is going on?” Scott demanded in fury as he took off his helmet, looking in distaste at the defeated whists at their feet, and Isaac removed his own helmet, frowning and looking worriedly at the dead dog bodies at their feet.

“I’ve no idea, see, I told you we should have stayed in bed.” He complained, and Scott took his hand which Isaac squeezed, raising it to his mouth and kissing it.

“You ok?” he asked his boyfriend and Scott shrugged, looking nauseously at the whists.

“I don’t know, I mean I could have worked on any of these dogs, talked to them, played with them and now, they’re monsters who are killing people, and these ones had clearly killed that man we saw back there.” He said softly, and Isaac nuzzled his neck softly.

“We can stop this Scott. But first, you need to…” he began and Scott nodded, knowing full well what he had to do.

He had to summon his pack, his town was in danger, this clearly wasn’t the only place that was burning judging by the fire belching into the air all over town, and the screams and cries seemed to point to the Ghost Pack and their whists having a field day. Not on his watch.

Allowing his eyes to glow red, sensing the proud smile from his boyfriend, Scott reared his head back and roared, the call echoing across town, calling his pack to the defence of their home.

Eyes gold, amber and blue all shone across the town as the pack heard the call of their Alpha, snarls filling the air as they mustered to the defence of their home, flooding out into the streets to help protect the people from this blitz that the Ghost Pack was carrying out, the death toll already rising and the damages already shooting through the roof.

“What now?” Isaac asked, eyes glowing gold and Scott shot a last look at the defeated whists.

“Now we find Liam and Garrett, they’re humans and they could be out in the middle of this, first we find them, then we do what we can.” He said, climbing back onto his bike and pulling on his helmet, enjoying the touch as Isaac wrapped his arms tightly around him.

“We’ll stop them honey.” He vowed, and Scott nodded, but as he looked into the sky and saw the towers of smoke the Ghost Pack had already caused, he wasn’t entirely convinced as he drove off in order to fulfil his pledge: to protect those who could not protect themselves, and protect the town that they called home.

 

XX

 

“Haigh, there are at least four arsons going on, which is meant to be your area of expertise, the last thing I want to hear about right now is Derek sodding Hale! There are at least six confirmed deaths already and it’s getting worse out there, so shut up and get out there and try to restore a little bit of law and order!” the sheriff raged as he and Parrish ran out of the building towards the most recent callout, which included bizarre reports of some headless dog having skewered some guy on his way home late from his office.

The entire station was whipped into a frenzy as it seemed like some sort of blitzkrieg was going on, buildings were being torched, and according to the reports, people were being attacked by dog like monsters or dog zombies, the entire town had been driven into a panic, the phone was ringing off the hook, and for the first time, they were actually appreciating the prison break, it meant that they had more people floating around to send out to respond to the various calls.

Haigh scowled, but he knew the sheriff was a right. He had assembled a list of possible locations that Derek Hale could be hiding and had just been about to hand it over when the calls had started coming in. But he knew Derek Hale was out there, and he was the one who was going to bring him in.

He was the reason, he and his entire family, that his younger sister had died. She had always been friends with them, and the Hales had always been willing to have her over whenever she wanted to be there…including the day they had all died, taking Nadia down with it. He wasn’t going to stop, not until he brought the ones who were responsible down, and as Derek was the last one left, he was the one he was going to bring down, to make him pay for getting Nadia killed.

But for now, he had a job to do.

Then he could turn his attention back to Derek Hale.

 

XX

 

Yeah, he knew there was a reason he had never stayed out too late in this town, the entire place was a hellhole of nutjobs and lunatics and murderers, and lucky him, they all seemed to be out in force tonight. Screams and cries were filling the air, smoke was towering as parts of the town burned, sirens blared through the night air and now even gunshots were being heard, what was it with this town, it seemed like every silly damn fool with a fly up their nose was out to cause trouble.

“I know we need to get home, but why do I have a horrible feeling Isaac won’t be safely inside the house where he should be considering the entire town seems to be going straight to hell?” Camden asked, and then stopped, looking around suspiciously, the sixth sense he had was tingling, he had to admit, it certainly was a benefit to their escape from the Taliban.

“What?” he asked the other sense inside him, and before he could do anything else, a few streets over, something went up in a massive fireball, flooding the area with light and Camden turned to see what had happened, he missed the face of the one spying on him vanishing into the shadows again.

“You’re right, we need to get back to the house.” He said grimly, clutching his gun for comfort, and his arm flashed a reassuring green as he headed home.

Behind him, Matt emerged from the shadows. It was him, the one he had missed, the one who had killed him who had avoided his vengeance simply because he was meant to be dead at the time. But now, he was here, he was alive and Matt could finally complete his vengeance on the ones who had killed him the first time. Besides, he owed Scott and his friends for thwarting him in the first place, what better way than to kill the returned from the dead brother of Scott’s boyfriend?

And then he could focus on getting revenge on the last person who had killed him.

But Camden, the last of the swim team who had drowned him, was first on the list…and the little flicker of supernatural inside him didn’t matter at all.

 

XX

 

“Ok, so first things first, how about we go back to the loft and see if there’s anything we missed, we take Lydia and Martagh, see if they can pick up on anything useful, there has to be something somewhere that proves that you didn’t kill those hunters.” Braeden said as the two of them shared a Chinese inside the train that was now serving as Derek’s home, which she had to admit, was sort of cool in its own way.

“Anything that was there will be long since gone, but I suppose it’s worth a try, I can’t spend the rest of my life as a fugitive. But that doesn’t mean I can’t live a little outside the law.” He said with a small smile, and Braeden smiled as he leaned in and kissed her, pushing her back gently onto the row of seats and things were just starting to get interesting when Derek pulled away, his eyes flashing blue as he heard Scott’s roar echo across the town.

“That little…he just cockblocked me!” he complained and Braeden sniggered, relishing the most put out expression on Derek’s face as he glowered resentfully at the sky as if god himself was the one who had interrupted him.

“Yeah well considering how pissy he gets when people interrupt his sexy time with Isaac, I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose. Shall we go out and see what the fuss is all about? But…don’t forget where we left off, we might be able to pick things up later.” She said playfully, stroking her hand around his ass as she got to her feet, making him grin appreciatively as he followed his sort of girlfriend out of the train yard.

And it was then that he realised how sealed off the location was, because as soon as they got outside they saw pillars of smoke trailing into the air, the glow of fires across the town and the screams and cries of a town under attack filled the night sky.

“What the hell is going on?” Derek demanded, hearing a distant screech and Braeden scowled in annoyance as she drew her gun.

“I don’t know, but I think we have the Ghost Pack to thank. You go back inside, I’ll go and help.” She said, and he shook his head stubbornly.

“No way, I’m a werewolf you’re a human. A highly skilled human,” he admitted hastily as she had sent him a steely look, “but a human all the same. I’m a wolf, I can help.” He told her and she rolled her eyes.

“Now isn’t the time to be chivalrous, get back inside, you’re a wanted man!” she urged, but he remained defiant.

“No, besides, this is my town as much as Scott’s, I’m going nowhere.” He told her, and she looked desperate for another argument to throw at him but she scowled once again, admitting defeat and tried to ignore the annoying smug look on Derek’s face as she did so.

“Fine, but if you get arrested and get sent back to jail, don’t expect me to come and visit.” She warned, and he grinned.

“You don’t mean that.” He teased, eyes flashing blue as the two of them rose to the defence of the town.

 

XX

 

“Christ, not again.” The sheriff cursed as he and Parrish got out of the car to see the grisly scene that had only recently occurred.

Clearly, this older lady had been taking her dog out on a walk just as the attack had started, and judging from the looks of her body, she couldn’t be too far from home since she was only wearing her slippers. But now, the woman’s throat had been slashed open, and her dog, a small terrier, had had its head ripped open by some brute force impact, leaving the two of them in a pool of their own bloody on the pavement.

“Another attack which takes out the dog as well as the person walking it…ok, this might sound crazy, but am I the only one beginning to think that these attacks aren’t about the people at all, they’re about the dogs?” Parrish asked, and the sheriff looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Wait, are you telling me that we have a rising death toll that’s about to reach ten in the town, just because one of the foul creatures out there has decided that it doesn’t like dogs? A sort of one man genocide?” he demanded, and Parrish shrugged.

“It would make sense, in most cases, say a normal murder, the people would be killed and unless the dog was actually attacking the killer, generally they would tend to survive. But here we have a group of dead victims, all of whom were walking their dogs at the time they died, so I’m thinking, maybe that’s the reasoning behind it. And didn’t Stiles say that the Owlman was opposed to the dog pack that was chasing them through the town? It might explain it, the Owlman can’t get who it wants, the actual dog pack, so it’s going on a one man war against any dogs that it can find.” He reasoned, and now that it had been explained to him, the sheriff had to admit, it wasn’t as crazy as it originally sounded, after all, Malia had an almost genocidal hatred for squirrels, why wouldn’t some other creature have one for dogs? In fact, in hindsight it probably made more sense than Malia’s hatred for squirrels.

“Bit harsh even for a supernatural creature though, hunting down and massacring any dog that it comes across, but you might be right. And with the nemeton sick, if you’re right about that’s what it is…” the sheriff said, and Parrish allowed himself a grim smile.

“I don’t think it’s dying sir if that’s what you’re hoping for. It’s been poisoned sure, but it’s probably still getting stronger, but if it had been warped or poisoned, it might explain the bizarre spate of suicides, and the murders that have been increasing too.” He justified, and the sheriff sighed grimly, yeah, the suicides were bad enough but today there had been three completely unrelated murders, which he was also inclined to put under the category of ‘something to do with the supernatural’.

“Great. Let’s call this in, we need to get these poor saps out of the open air while he try to get a bit of control back.” The sheriff said, and Parrish looked at him worriedly.

“Boss…what do you think this is all for? The prison break and now basically anarchy in the town?” he asked worriedly his eyes haunted, most likely by the death of Mikaela.

The sheriff looked grimly out at his town, in the midst of an attack by supernatural creatures, and all of a sudden he was filled with a strange foreboding, as though all this was only just beginning.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it all links back to the kids. And this new bad guy in town, well, whatever he’s up to…I dread to think what his endgame really is.” He said darkly as another column of flame streaked into the night sky.

 

XX

 

Agravaine’s teeth ripped the throat out of the screaming young man, ending his life with a bloody, choking gurgle as he returned to his normal form, wiping his mouth as though he had just finished dinner, which in a manner of speaking he had. It had been quite some time since he had allowed the pack to be let off the leash like they were tonight, and now, Scott was going to rue crossing him in the first place. The death toll was rising, and when the detritus had settled and it became clear that it was his actions that had led to this, the knowledge that he had been the one who had doomed all of these people would chip away at his resistance and will, making him that much easier to push into position for their plan.

He had warned Peter to stay out of the way tonight, after all, it wouldn’t do for Peter’s rather valuable position just outside the pack to be lost simply because he wanted to engage in a little animalistic pleasure. No, better he remained in the background, ready for when the pack would be at their most vulnerable, and hence more open to their plan.

He heard shouting behind him and turned in time to see a frightened man stab another man who had apparently been trying to escort him to safety, and he watched in grim satisfaction as the man fell to the earth, the shard of glass the original man had used as a weapon embedded in his gut. Nice to see the corruption of the nemeton was taking hold, he had seen similar scenes on his travels tonight, one man had been beating a man to death simply for trying to protect his house from his attempted looting, a woman had been attacking her husband, blaming him for the mess the town was in tonight. Everything was going according to plan.

He then felt a familiar presence behind him and turned in time to see the hulking form of Thane approaching before turning back into his human form, picking at his teeth in dark satisfaction.

“The town is in chaos, but now the boy is rallying his pack to the defence, if we encounter them, what do you want us to do? Fight them?” he asked, and Agravaine mused on this.

“Hmm, I leave it to you lot. I trust you have been utilising your rather unique skills as well as your generic ones?” Agravaine asked him as the two of them started strolling up the street they were in, watching as a woman shoving a man out of the window, screeching about him drinking a bottle of wine she had been saving for herself.

“Of course, some people are already marked for death. It’s been so long since we’ve done anything like this, it’s rather enjoyable really.” Thane commented, and Agravaine smiled.

“Indeed. Now my friend…the night is still young, let’s find ourselves some victims!” he barked and transformed, smoke billowing around him as the two dogs ran in search of a new victim.

 

XX

 

“No good, he still won’t talk to us.” Liam complained, scowling a little as he and Garrett left Mason’s house, they had been trying for hours and were still no closer to getting Mason to talk to them, or even acknowledge their existence, he was still dead set on having anything to do with the supernatural.

It was like discovering that the supernatural existed had made him turn against the two of them as well, they had all been friends for years but from the looks of it, the fact that both Liam and Garrett weren’t totally freaked out and opposed to having anything at all to do with the pack and the supernatural seemed to have turned their friend against them. On one level, they did get why he was so freaked out, and they could more than understand that Mason didn’t want to get involved in the supernatural especially considering from what Scott and the others had told them it tended to put their lives in danger regularly. What they didn’t get was his reluctance to have anything to do with the two of them just because they didn’t share his thoughts on the matter.

“It’ll be ok dude, he’ll come around eventually, well, at least to us again, not so sure about the supernatural bit.” He admitted lamely wincing as another explosion sounded from quite nearby, and Garrett raised his hand a little, after all, Liam was younger than he was, and his rage thing could get them into trouble on a night like this.

“Hey…you want to stay at mine tonight?” Liam asked as if purely by coincidence, though both of them knew full well that he was slightly anxious about the state that the town was in tonight, and Garrett was about to respond, after all, the orphanage was on the other side of town and he would have to walk all the way through town which sounded like a warzone in order to get home, and he’d be up most of the night panicking about his friends anyway when a scream came from not that far away, one of pure terror and the two boys looked at each other in alarm.

“You heard that right?” Liam asked, and the screamer screamed again, and something aroused all sorts of feelings in Garrett, it was a woman, a girl screaming, and unless he missed his guess, they knew that girl, in fact he had been head over heels in love with her before he had found out that she played for the same team he did.

“Violet…” he breathed in panic, and as another scream split the smoky night air, the two boys looked at one another in alarm and headed towards the sound of the screams, not caring at all about what they would find when they got there, just as long as they were in time to save her from whatever, or whoever, was trying to hurt her.

 

XX

 

“The entire town is going straight to hell!” Malia snarled, her eyes glowing blue as she ripped the spinal cord of another whist in two, dropping the reanimated corpse to the ground as she and Stiles squared off against another three whists.

Their night had started off simple enough, Stiles was educating her on the joys of going to a drive in movie (which was really just an excuse for him to be the big spoon for a change instead of the little spoon which she usually made him be) when Scott’s roar had echoed across town, and the two of them had instead headed to try and hook up with Scott. However they had barely gone one block when they had come upon the scene of Danielle and Scarlett being herded into a corner, with the security guard from the Macy’s they hadn’t long left now lying dead on the ground, having been impaled by one of the whists and now the headless corpses were forcing their would be victims down an alleyway where it would be easier to pick the two of them off, which was something both Stiles and Malia weren’t inclined to allow to happen.

Now that the two of them had shown up, the whists were now distracted from the Danielle and Scarlett, and with that, they made use of the monsters preoccupation in order to make a break for it.

“What about those two?” Scarlett panted.

“They can look after themselves, and who the hell cares, every woman for herself!” she bellowed as the two of them made good their escape, leaving Stiles, armed with the metal gauntlet that Isaac had made for him and Malia with her natural weapons against the three remaining beasts.

The three whists then struck two of them rampaging right towards Stiles while the other went for Malia. Snarling in fury, Malia pounced, catlike, onto the back of her attack, her claws puncturing through its skin and she then forced her entire hand in after it, grasping the spinal cord that was controlling the corpse. Snarling with fury, she dug her claws into the spine as the whist reared on its hind legs, trying to dislodge her but she was having none of it, her claws ripping through flesh and muscle as she finally got to the bone. Digging her claws in, she exerted enough force, breaking the bone in two and dropping the beast to the ground, her eyes blazing blue as she turned to see what state Stiles was in, and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was actually doing quite well.

Armed with the gauntlet, he had used the metal clad wrist to smack one of the whists sprawling, allowing him to turn his focus to the more vicious of the two, which had once clearly been a Dalmatian which was now trying to gorge him in the stomach. Malia frowned as she was sure she saw his eyes flicker, as if they had changed colour, but a second later he looked the same as before and snared the whist around the top of its body, and with the added force of the metal gauntlet, he shattered the whists spine, dropping it to the ground in a heap, and Malia looked at him in shock.

“You just destroyed a whist by breaking it’s back, have you been working out and not told me?” she asked playfully, darting up beside him, her ferocious fighting style ripping into the side of the former dog while Stiles came at it from on high, the lethal claw like extensions of the gauntlet slashing into the dog, both of their attacks exposing the spine which was what they needed to destroy it.

“Um, might have been, not that much though, maybe making the poor things into whists makes their bodies weaker?” Stiles theorised, knowing full well that it was the leftover Nogitsune strength that had allowed him to shatter the spine of the whist, nothing else, but he didn’t want to tell her that, or admit that he was in any way still tied to that thing that he had become because of the possession.

The remaining whist snarled, it’s lethal broken bone lunging for Stiles stomach but he was already on the move, his makeshift claws cutting into the flesh beneath the bone. He pulled back his arm, and Malia prepared to pounce, both of them ready to finish the last beast when an arrow cut through the beasts spine, dropping its once more lifeless form to the ground. Stiles turned expecting to see Isaac or Danny, after all, they were the archers now, but instead another arrow fired through the air, landing and exploding in a bright flash, making Malia cry out in pain as the unexpected flare assaulted her sensitive eyes.

“Malia, get down!” Stiles barked as another arrow fired, this one barely missing his head as he ducked to check on Malia, and he finally knew who it was, there was only one person that it could be.

As Malia snarled in furious pain behind him, Stiles glared through the receding effects of the flare, and as expected it was Allison who emerged from the light, her eyes narrowed at the person she blamed for her death, the person she wanted to kill.

“Allison…” Stiles began, but after all, what could he say to her, it was his fault that she was dead, and now she had returned from the dead to put him down like the monster that he was, to be the hunter she had always been one last time.

“I told you Stiles, you need to be put down. Not because of what happened to me. But deep down, you know what you are, you’re not human anymore, you’re a threat.” She said, stalking towards him, her bow drawn, and Stiles gaze wobbled, she was right, the Nogitsune wasn’t gone, not really, it might have been destroyed but it was still part of him, he wasn’t truly human anymore.

“Allison, please, just let Malia go, you can do what you want to me after that, but she isn’t part of this, you know that.” He begged and she fixed him with a sad smile.

“I know Stiles, who do you think I am, Kate? I’m not going to kill her. I don’t want to kill you but I don’t have a choice. Last time I was angry. Yeah, you’re to blame, but so am I, all of us are for what happened to me, and what nearly happened to Aiden. That isn’t why you need to die Stiles. I really don’t want to do this, but Scott, he can’t cope with you becoming a monster again. And now the entire pack is so dedicated to keeping Scott’s approval that none of them would be able to do what needs to be done if you go dark again. Please Stiles,” she pleaded, aiming an arrow right at his head, “let me end this.”

Stiles looked at her, his mind in a tumult of emotion as he considered it. Everything he had done as the Nogitsune, all the faces of his victims, he had looked at every one of them, at pictures of every person who had died because of him, all of them burning into his brain, their accusatory eyes keeping him awake at night, even when Malia was there to comfort him. The memories of what he had done to his friends, twisting the sword in Scott’s gut, pinning Aiden to the wall with daggers, getting Isaac electrocuted and virtually sexually assaulting him, kidnapping and psychologically torturing Lydia, and of course getting Allison killed played in a continuous loop in his head, he could hear the screams and pleas of his victims late at night as well. He didn’t deserve to live, he was a monster, he was still a Nogitsune, or at least part of one and the longer he remained, everyone he cared about, Scott, Malia, Isaac, the twins, Derek, Jackson, Danny, his dad, Melissa, all of them, they were all still in danger.

But on the other hand, why should he let her kill him? He’d been possessed, it wasn’t really him who had done those things. Yes he felt the guilt as if he had done it himself, but it wasn’t really him. And Allison, while her loss had been tragic, well she had been no saint either, she would have happily been party to Erica and Boyd’s murder, Isaac’s and Jackson’s as well because of her grandfather’s brainwashing which she was too busy raging at her mother’s death to realise he was using her as a weapon. She was no innocent. And she had gone, willingly, to help them save Lydia, there was no way of knowing what would have happened, no way they could have prevented it. Her death had been a tragic accident, and even though he was culpable, he was only slightly more culpable than Isaac, Scott, Lydia and Kira’s mother in her death at the hands of the Oni. And what was more, this wasn’t really Allison, this was a revenant, conjured by the Ghost Pack as part of the mind games they were playing with the pack. Would Allison, the real Allison, not twisted to some unknown extent by Agravaine, really want Stiles dead when it wasn’t really his fault? He knew she’d been willing to hunt him down and put him down after Isaac was hurt, but that was just the reactionary response of someone who’d had a person they care about hurt because of someone else’s actions. Would the real Allison, his friend, Scott’s first love, really want him dead?

“Stiles…” Allison begged, the arrow wavering a little, and he was so shocked by the slight tremor in her voice that he didn’t actually realise what was going on, it was like she was fighting the compulsion to kill him.

There was then a savage roar and both Stiles and Allison turned to see a shape leap down at her, claws ripping towards her throat and she barely pulled herself out of the way as Peter smiled at her in a smug way.

“Well, look who’s copying my party trick.” He purred, eyes glowing blue and claws extending, and with a snarl he went for her throat.

Allison twirled out of the way, her leg arcing into his chest and knocking him sprawling back, and firing another flash arrow, she made good her escape, sending a last tortured look at Stiles as she did so.

“What the hell was that?” Malia asked as Stiles, blood still pumping and eyes averted so Malia couldn’t see if what he feared, that his eyes had changed colour, was true, he bent down beside her and stroked her hair.

“You ok?” he asked, and she nodded, looking at him worriedly.

“You aren’t though. What’s wrong, I couldn’t hear much of what was going on, was that Scott’s ex?” she asked, and he nodded grimly, and he flinched slightly as she took his hand as Peter walked towards them.

“You’re welcome by the way, as she was about to skewer you with an arrow.” He said to Stiles, who looked at him suspiciously.

“Thanks I suppose, but why did you help me anyway, it’s not like we’re friends?” he challenged, and Peter smiled.

“Why Stiles, I told you before, you intrigue me a lot more than the others, the human who would remain that way among a pack of his infinitely more talented friends…yet you don’t seem as feeble as usual. And you could say I’m rather possessive, coming back from the dead is my trick, and I don’t appreciate this new threat bringing back Allison, especially when she was so dear to you all.” He told them, and Malia looked at him sceptically.

“You expect us to believe that?” she asked in disbelief, and he favoured her with a strange look which suddenly gave both of them the chills, it was akin to pride if nothing else.

“Well no. Let’s just say I owed it to an old friend of mine to make sure nothing happened to your boyfriend. Now shall we? I’m assuming at this point that there’s still many whists and revenants running around town, and I’d rather take as many out as possible, so are you coming?” he asked heading off, and leaving Stiles to pull Malia to her feet, not at all liking the smug, triumphant aura emanating from Peter.

“What did he mean by that do you think?” she asked, and Stiles, now confident he was as fully human as he could get again, shrugged.

“No idea, I mean it isn’t like he has friends so who does he really owe?” he asked warily, and the two of them reluctantly caught up with Peter, who’s eyes flashed with malice.

That little demonstration had been most illuminating. And now, he had everything right where he needed it, Lydia was out the way, Stiles was clearly not as human as he was letting his friends believe, even Allison’s presence could be used to his advantage. And best of all, he had access to Malia.

Everything was going to plan.

 

XX

 

“No, please…gah!” their victim screamed as Eoghan ripped out his throat before returning to his human form, watching proudly as his wife savaged the man’s wife, ripping her guts open and allowing them to spill onto the floor.

“Just like old times.” He reminisced, and he saw the haunted look pass through her eyes as they remembered that awful evening, when their lives had been ruined, when Agravaine had allowed them to unlock their true potential.

“Did you casually murder innocent people that night too?” a voice challenged, and both Barghests turned to see Jackson and Danny, both clad in leather jackets, Jackson’s eyes glowing and Danny’s bow trained on the two of them, glaring at them.

Ciara snarled, her eyes glowing black as she did so.

“Trust me, there were no innocents that night, and each of them deserved exactly what they got.” She ground out, and Danny scoffed.

“Somehow I doubt that, what did they do, out you as monsters?” he challenged, eyes flicking to the building behind the dogs, thinking he had spotted something else, but when there was no other movement, he turned his full attention back to the dogs.

Eoghan snarled, anger coursing through him at the insinuation.

“You think we wanted that to happen? No, they discovered we were monsters after they did something more monstrous than we would ever do…we ripped apart the entire town when they drowned our daughter!” he bellowed, but despite being pumped up and clamouring for blood, he remained human and in control, though only just.

Whatever the two pack members had been expecting it certainly hadn’t been that, and Jackson and Danny exchanged a remorseful look.

“They killed your daughter? Why?” Danny asked softly, and Ciara, tears of grief and fury welling in her eyes, actually answered.

“Because she was like us, a weredog. She was just a baby, she couldn’t control it…her eyes glowed, but the entire town was whipped into a frenzy, a religious fervour, and they drowned her in the stream outside the town…they drowned my little girl.” She sobbed and Eoghan threw a hateful look at the two of them as he wrapped his arm around his wife.

“Oh my god…” Jackson breathed, they certainly hadn’t been expecting that, not at all, but Danny then piped up and asked the question that he wanted to know too.

“Why would they do that? She was just a child.” Danny said in horrified shock, and Eoghan snapped his teeth at him.

“Because they’re human, because they’re weak, afraid little vermin. Some priest had come to town, a new one, we hadn’t been to a service we were busy with the baby, she was only a few months old, and he convinced them that evil walked among them, so when the babysitter saw her eyes glow, they drowned her. That’s when they learned that evil truly did walk among them, but did any of them try to save our daughter? Did they hell, they all helped carry her to the stream and watched as my defenceless child drowned!” he roared, and Ciara focused on the two boys, her eyes glowing black with malicious, justified hatred.

“That’s when we met Agravaine, and he convinced us to release our power, and we did, we hunted down and slaughtered every single of them! Now, get out of here, and take your little boyfriend with you, before we do the same to you!” she spat, spittle flying from her mouth, and Jackson exchanged a look with Danny and they were about to make their retreat when the things that Danny had spotted moving earlier moved into view on the rooftop behind the two Barghests.

“He’s not his boyfriend.” Aiden snarled, the scar Agravaine gave him over his eye shining slightly in the moonlight.

“But I am!” Ethan yelled as the two twins flipped off the building, landing catlike behind the two dogs, their eyes glowing blue in challenge.

“Guys, no…” Danny told them, the two dogs didn’t need to be ambushed and their last fight hadn’t exactly been a success, true, they had killed people but…

It was too late however, as both Eoghan and Ciara gave incensed howls, like wounded animals, their eyes glowing black and both of them turning into their dog forms before Ciara sprang towards Danny and Jackson while Eoghan bolted towards the twins.

Danny fired an arrow but the dog bounded on to the wall, using that as a leap pad towards him, the arrow going wide as Ciara, all teeth and claws, went for Danny’s throat.

Jackson was a blur, coming out of nowhere, and like Martagh had told him he ripped upwards with his claws, Ciara howling in pain as he lacerated her stomach, blood dripping over him as she crashed to the ground, keening in pain before she turned her ferocious gaze onto him, howling a challenge as she sprang at him, her teeth baring down on his throat as she tackled him off his feet.

Slamming to the ground, Jackson shuddered for breath as Ciara’s massive bulk weighed down on him, her teeth going right for his throat when Danny wrapped the metal end of his bow around her neck, pulling her back with all of the force he could manage, toppling her from his best friend and allowing Jackson to leap back to his feet, his clawed hand stopping her before she gashed a slice out of Danny. Jackson roared, a challenge she met, raising herself up on her hind legs like a bear and Jackson barely dodged out of the way as she nearly slammed down on top of him. Lancing out with his claws, he ripped into her side, the dog snarling furiously before shouldering her attacker away, however with her otherwise occupied, Danny was now free to act and an arrow lanced into her shoulder, making her howl and she turned to him, stampeding towards him, her claws digging into his chest as she crashed him to the ground, rearing her head back to rip his face open when Jackson sprang onto her back, sticking claws and teeth into her furry hide, dragging her off Danny, who was gasping for air after being almost crushed by the colossal dog.

Ethan flipped through the air, claws slashing down towards the white fur that marked the scar over Eoghan’s eye, while Aiden attacked from behind, his claws slashing into Eoghan’s flank, the twins complimenting each other as always as they faced off against the colossal muscular dog. Eoghan snarled, turning and biting down on a surprised Aiden’s leg, Aiden screaming in pain as he did so, and an incensed Ethan snarled in fury, springing onto Eoghan’s back and biting down onto his neck.

The beast roared in fury, rearing up with such speed and force that Ethan was thrown from his back, crashing into the wall, bouncing from it and landing on the ground in a cascade of rubble. Eoghan stomped down on Ethan, crushing his skull into the ground before Aiden slashed at his hind legs, before twirling and cutting upwards, his claws digging deep into Eoghan’s tank like body. Eoghan barked his teeth, but clearly saw that he had the advantage here, trying to bite at Aiden while still squashing Ethan’s skull into the ground. Ethan was struggling to get free, his legs kicking impotently as he tried to force the dog off, but Eoghan was not to be moved. Aiden then bounded up the wall, springing from it and slashing his claws down towards Eoghan, ripping into his back muscles and making the dog howl in pain, lessening his foothold on Ethan slightly, which gave the other twin the chance to twist his arm into position and dig his claws into Eoghan’s leg. Eoghan snarled, pulling off his foot by reflex and Ethan rolled backwards to avoid a furious stomping blow as the two wolves stood side by side, nodded at each other and then surged forward, their shoulders catching Eoghan in the neck and sending the beast crashing down onto his back. The twins then leapt forward, their claws ripping into his exposed stomach, the expression on Eoghan’s batlike face one of furious terror as the twins ripped into him, spraying them both with blood and Aiden caught Ethan in one arm, forcing his twin off as he prepared his other arm to plunge into the dog’s chest to rip out his heart.

Ciara then bellowed an angry snarl, lancing past Jackson and Danny, flying through the air and slamming into Aiden and Ethan, crushing both of them against the wall, allowing Eoghan to get back to his feet, his heckles raised at Jackson and Danny, but he was too late to avoid another arrow zinging through the air and landing in Ciara’s side. As she howled in pain, the twins pulled themselves out of the rubble of the wall and nodding at Jackson and Danny, they moved as one, the two twins slashing and swiping, cartwheeling and flipping, ducking and weaving, forcing a wounded Ciara into the centre of their circle while Danny fired arrows as covering fire for Jackson, who dodged each arrow before stabbing his claws into Eoghan’s wrinkled face. The dog howled in pain, further exacerbated by the arrows now puncturing his hide and he turned and barked at Ciara, and with a final defiant bark, the two of them snarled at their attackers and barrelled into Jackson and Aiden, sending them thudding to the floor and allowing the dogs to make good their escape, barking and whimpering slightly as they vanished into the night.

“Did we win?” Ethan asked in surprise at the dog’s abrupt departure, and Danny’s remorseful eyes followed the vanishing images of the dogs.

“Not really.” He said sadly, helping Jackson to his feet while Ethan helped his twin up.

“You ok?” Aiden asked Jackson, who was hissing through his teeth as he rubbed his arm.

“Not really, my arm’s burning like a bitch, what if using it like that makes it act faster?” he asked worriedly, and Danny laid a comforting hand on his wrist.

“Hey, I told you, we aren’t going to let you die. Scott definitely won’t, even if you piss everyone else off enough to make them want you dead. Ok?” he asked, and Jackson rolled his eyes but did smile a little.

“We make a pretty good team, the four of us.” Ethan ventured hesitantly, though he drooped a little when Danny didn’t meet his gaze, though he was certain he did see Danny’s lips tug upwards a little as both Aiden and Jackson glared at him.

“No we don’t.” they both said in unison, and this time Danny did grin at his kind of boyfriend.

“Yeah, don’t push your luck. Are you two going to tell Scott?” Danny asked softly, his eyes focused on Ethan, and Ethan’s nerve failed him and he went quiet, avoiding looking at his boyfriend while Aiden looked at Danny in exasperation.

“They were trying to kill us Danny, yeah it isn’t nice, but you can’t hold every person Ethan and I have ever killed against us! Look at Jackson, he was a murderer too, his eyes glow blue and you’re not bitching at him for being a murderer!” he barked, and Jackson snarled in warning.

“Yeah, but unlike you two, I was controlled, made to do those things, what’s your excuse?” he demanded, and Aiden snarled in fury.

“You think we had a choice? You think Deucalion asked us if we thought the people he sent us after deserved to die? The only time we defied him is when we came here and met the pack that he wanted dead!” he yelled, and Danny looked at Aiden uncertainly.

“Yeah but other than Lydia and me, you in particular weren’t so keen on keeping all of us alive.” He pointed out and Aiden roared at Danny in fury, his claws extending, but that was when both Jackson and Ethan moved, catching him and forcing him back, their eyes glowing blue and Jackson growled murderously, and Ethan pawed at his twin, calming him down reluctantly.

“Look Aiden, I know your life was hard, and I know you didn’t have a lot of choice, it’s just…I’m struggling to wrap my head around the fact that Ethan and you did those things. Or more to the point, that you liked it even when you didn’t want to kill them.” Danny said quietly, and to everyone’s surprise Aiden did defuse, not meeting Danny’s gaze.

“Sometimes though, it is kill or be killed.” He said quietly, and Danny nodded.

“I know, and believe it or not, people like Deucalion, I actually wanted Scott to kill him. But those two, I don’t think they deserve to die.” He said, and Ethan looked at Danny questioningly.

“I’m sure their victims would agree to.” He pointed out coldly and Danny sighed in annoyance and was about to reply when Aiden’s phone rang, breaking the simmering pot of tension.

“Lydia?” he asked in shock, not expecting his ex to call him.

“Aiden…I need you. Mom’s been taken, please…hurry.” She begged and the four boys exchanged shocked looks before they ran for the twins bikes, Jackson reluctantly wrapping his arms around Aiden while Danny did the same with Ethan as they blazed off to help Lydia.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy season five to everybody, and to celebrate, here's the start of a two episode feature
> 
> So the boys are away to help Lydia, but just what does the Pombero have planned, and what is Peter up to? And poor Stiles, what is going on inside his head? And is Camden just talking to himself or is there something else afoot?
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved, until next time!


	24. Episode 5: Maternity Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate plans to level the playing field, Scott and Isaac have a difference of opinion, and Lydia makes a brash decision

Two-Pack II

 

“These dogs are trying to take this town…” Ramon, one of the current claimants to Araya’s throne said as he paced the room, “but I say we show them why the Callavera clan is feared throughout Mexico!” he yelled and his companions cheered on top of the building that the entire clan of prison escapees had made their own following the jailbreak.

With both Araya and Severo dead (not that they knew for sure about Araya), the entire Callavera clan had split into roughly three factions, each with differing views on who their new leader should be since the former matriarch was now dead and her heir apparent was dead along with her. As a result, there was a silent sort of civil war brewing, one that was going to cause more problems than it would solve, and would also make them easy prey for whatever supernatural beasties decided to take a potshot at them.

From the rooftop of an adjacent building, Kate looked down at them, her eyebrow raised at Ramon’s comment, after all, they were only feared in all of Mexico because they were more likely to blow up whoever went to them for help than what they were actually hunting. Either way the Callavera clan needed to be reduced to a more manageable level, with so many of them running around leaderless they were more likely to be a liability than usual, which didn’t bode well when there was the True Alpha and his pack, the Ghost Pack, the Owlman and the Pombero all in town, all of whom would be fair game for the Callavera clan.

Ramon’s faction was the largest, making up a little over a third of the remaining clan. The next one down was Angelique, and her powerbase looked set to eclipse that of the third contender, Garcia, who had allowed two of his group to be recaptured by the police while out on a usual supply run. However, Kate, who had had dealings with the Callavera clan, knew better. While Ramon did look set to become the leader, it was actually his deputy, Ricard, who was the real brains of the operation. Silent and unassuming, he was the one who, if they could see past their own petty wants, was the one who really should be running the Callavera clan.

But obviously, brain dead and ambitious as they were (which was never a good combination, even less so with the Callavera clan), they were too dumb to see this, and even if they did put Ricard in charge, it would only cause resentment from the other partiers, Ramon being the main one. The Callaveras with Araya were barely competent, but her leadership and the deputising of Severo managed to make them a substantial threat. Without them they were a clan of ambitious, power hungry, rage filled, murderous loose cannons which did not suit her plans at all. Admittedly she was probably helping whatever Peter was up to, but that didn’t matter. Provided she kept him from Scott and interfered with his plans in some other way, she would be happy.

After all, Scott belonged to her and her father.

And nothing, especially not the Callavera clan, would stand in their way.

“Did you get a look at them?” she asked her companion, and the new leader of her Berserkers nodded, chittering at her in his own language.

“Yes, we will. Alright, make sure Ricard survives. But, as for the other three leaders…either kill them, or bring them to me. They may be totally useless, but I’m sure you can think of a way to break them in.” she told him proudly, and the Berserker nodded, his warm breath billowing in front of him as he breathed through his skull mask, while another gurgled at her from behind the two who were watching the hunting clan over the way.

“It doesn’t matter, all that matters is we remove the three ringleaders. Ricard, he isn’t stupid, and I can make that work to our advantage. Make sure you take out the lieutenants too, the two I pointed out, or we’ll still need to fight them too. We do this, we replace our losses, and if the Callaveras are as entirely useless as we’ve heard, we turn them all into Berserkers. If not, we turn a few, kill a few, and bring the inbred freaks down to a more manageable level. And then, then we can do whatever we please.” She purred, her eyes glowing green and the Berserkers nodded in agreement as they turned their attention back to their target.

 

XX

 

“Mom?” Lydia called as she and Martagh entered the house, but she instantly stopped, something tingling at the back of her mind.

“Carefully child.” Martagh warned, bringing her staff to bear should it be needed as a weapon, the house was far too quiet, it was like there was an unnatural stillness that had settled in the air, and of course, as she hadn’t been seen since Jennifer had attacked the house, there were no noises indicating that Prada was here either.

“Mom?” Lydia called again, receiving no response, and exchanged a worried look with Martagh, who frowned and nodded to herself.

“Me first I think.” She told her student, gently but firmly forcing her behind her staff as the two climbed the stairs, the Scuffock alert for any signs of trouble should they arise. The two of them edged up the stairs, Lydia getting a terrible feeling of foreboding as they did so.

“Calm yourself, I can feel your tension. Tell me, does it feel like when you get a death cry?” Martagh asked softly, and Lydia tried to concentrate, which was becoming harder the more she began to panic about the lack of response from her mother.

“I don’t know, I can’t tell them apart, if I could do you think I would have gotten my best friend murdered?” she demanded angrily, and Martagh turned to face her, a fierce expression on her face.

“Allison’s death wasn’t your doing. However if you don’t concentrate, your mother’s blood could well be on your hands, which neither of us want. Now, concentrate. Close your eyes, let the world peel back, and tell me what you feel.” She ordered and after sending her so called mentor a resentful look, Lydia did as she was asked, closing her eyes, trying to discern the feeling, as though she was playing a game of cat and mouse with it as she pursued it around the eddies and currents of her mind.

“I don’t think so, she’s not dead, or going to die, not yet, but whatever has happened she is in danger.” She told her, with a reasonable amount of certainty, and Martagh nodded and gave her a look of approval.

“You will learn child, that I promise you. But for now, let us see what had befallen your mother.” She said, holding her staff horizontally as she opened the door to Lydia’s bedroom, and the scene, her vanity table in smashed pieces scattered all over the floor, was more than enough to tell her what had happened.

“Mom!” Lydia breathed and Martagh cursed, waving her staff slowly through the air while muttering to herself, scowling as she did so.

“Predictable, this is the work of the Pombero. It’s taken your mother as a means to get leverage over you. You can’t allow it to get to you.” Martagh warned as she squatted on the floor, frowning as she found a little drop of blood on one of the shards of wood that had once been Lydia’s vanity, and Lydia twirled towards her, her face incredulous.

“Are you kidding me? That damn thing that isn’t going to be happy until I’m dead has my mother, who knows I’m a banshee, and will do who knows what to her until I give her what she wants! And you want me just to sit back here and let my mom get tortured or something, is that it?” she demanded angrily, and Martagh sighed in frustration, getting to her feet and fixing Lydia with a steely gaze.

“For the moment, yes. We will go after your mother, we will find her, and we will save her. However it does neither of us any good to run off half cocked, all that will achieve is to get both you and your mother killed. Patience. And let me concentrate, I will find her, I promise.” She assured her, turning her back on Lydia and closing her eyes as she surveyed the scene with her senses, trying to figure out the best course of action, if she could save Natalie from the Pombero, along with being the right thing to do, it might also soften Lydia’s feelings towards her and make her more receptive to her teachings, which the girl was clearly in dire need of. Try though the girl might, she was still resistant to her teachings. She knew trust and respect took a while to mature, but the girl was still being rather obstinate even for a teenager.

“OK, while you do whatever it is you’re doing, I’ll call some people who might actually be able to help.” She said tartly, and although her eyes were closed, Martagh still rolled them as she heard Lydia pull out her phone, and she allowed herself a small, superior smile.

“We shall also discuss that situation as well.” She said smugly, and Lydia who had been looking at her screen, trying to figure out who to call first, turned and looked at the Scuffock.

“What situation?” she asked in shock, and Martagh smiled.

“Where your heart truly lies.” She said in amusement, making Lydia scowl as she turned back to her phone and hopefully, to reinforcements.

But the Scuffock did raise a good point, who did he call? Stiles was usually her first choice when something like this happened, but he had been so…off recently, and besides, she didn’t want to cause problems between him and Malia. And on top of that, he was one of the few humans in the pack, how could he help her track down the Pombero in order to find her mother?

She had heard the sirens, and seen the smoke, she knew Scott, who would be her next logical choice, would be busy, and hence he wouldn’t be available, and Kira had been going to practice with her sword with her mother, so that left…Aiden or Jackson.

Her finger hovered over the screen, trying to decide who she wanted to come to her aid. Aiden was stronger at the moment, wasn’t wounded and perhaps dying, and hadn’t been missing from town, but then there was Jackson, who despite everything was still her first love (and for the first time she really got how Scott had felt when he had been falling for both Isaac and Kira in regards to Allison), and now she didn’t know who she really wanted. In a time of crisis, did she want Jackson, or Aiden?

Closing her eyes, she made her decision, all the while her brain questioning if it was the right one. She loved the two of them, there was no denying that, but Jackson and her were long over, and she didn’t think she loved him like that anymore, he had been her first love, but did she really still feel enough to be in love with him? Tried though she had, at some point, the relationship that had originally been intended to be just sex had become love, even though she had tried to deny it at every step of the way, and she had also broken up with Aiden, breaking his heart in the process, but that didn’t change the fact that she did love him too. And even though she didn’t want to admit it, she was still in love with him as well.

“I’m getting there, a little longer and I should have her, don’t worry young one.” Martagh assured her as she whispered under her breath, trying to divine a way to find Natalie before it was too late.

As she watched her mentor work, Lydia’s mind was reeling with possibilities of what could happen to her mother. The Pombero had taken her, most likely in an effort to lure Lydia to her so she could kill her, there was no denying that, but what possible benefit could she get from her mother? What was she after, or was her mom simply the bait for the trap?

She closed her eyes, trying to discern something, anything that could help her find her mom, anything that could help her, Martagh and the wolves hunt down the Pombero, but as she did so, she heard her name, as though it was being whispered in her ear. Turning, she strained to hear, recognising her mother’s voice as she did so, her eyes misting over as she lost herself to the vision…

Her mother, tied up, beaten and bloodied, in a warehouse who knew where…the Pombero stalking around the room, her whip rending apart her mother’s skin…the Pombero growing increasingly angry as a tearful Natalie refused to sell out her daughter…and then the silent scream of fury as the Pombero used her whip to rip Natalie’s head from her shoulder…

“MOM!” Lydia yelled in terror, the image of her mom’s sightless eyes boring into her skull as her head spurted off in a geyser of blood and toppled to the floor…

“Lydia! Hear my voice, calm, calm…it was a vision. You must master yourself, calm yourself, that’s it, follow my voice…” Martagh ordered, her voice harsh but strangely soothing as Lydia’s eyes returned to normal and she met her terrified apprentice’s intense gaze with a kind, almost grandmotherly look.

“Mom, I saw her die, the Pombero murdered her!” Lydia cried, and Martagh nodded.

“What you had was a vision, a symbol of a possible future. We won’t allow it to happen, your friends are coming here now, together we can track down the Pombero and save Natalie. I won’t let you become an orphan child, I let your grandmother die, I will not fail you in this.” She promised, but Lydia shook her head, trying to burn out the image of watching her mother die.

“No, there isn’t time, the Pombero has her now, there’s no telling how much time we have, we need to go now, we need to save her!” she exclaimed in a rush, and Martagh laid a hand on her shoulder.

“And we will, but if we run off now, half cocked, all it will do is seal either yours or your mother’s death, and that I cannot allow. We will find her, all I ask is a little patience child.” She begged, and Lydia nodded, edging away from Martagh and heading to her dresser.

“You’re right, we’ll find her…” Lydia whispered, her head held low, and Martagh nodded, before turning her attention back to her meditations, trying to discern where Natalie was being held.

And the room suddenly filled with a flash of light, Martagh yelping in surprised fright as it did so.

“Lydia!” Martagh cried, stumbling around blindly as she tried to find her apprentice in the light filled room.

Outside the room, Lydia sent a conflicted look at her bedroom door before she ran down the stairs. Her mother was in mortal danger, and what was more, her feeling was growing, the feeling that someone was about to die, she couldn’t shake it, but it was like when Allison died, the pressure was building, she didn’t have time to wait, she couldn’t afford to wait for Martagh to find her, or for the twins to show up.

She had to find her, they had lost enough, she had lost enough.

She had to find her mother.

And damn the consequences.

 

XX

 

A bus load of passengers were cramming to get off the vehicle as Agravaine bore down on it, fire swirling from his mouth as the rest of the dogs surrounded it, snarling and growling, ready to pounce as they circled the bus, the terrified passengers clamouring to get free as the leader of the Ghost Pack raised his hackles and was about to fire when Rhyley emerged from a wall and turned back to his normal uman form, clearly wanting to talk to Agravaine. Snapping his jaws at him, Agravaine fired a jet of flame into the bus, making a deep noise of pleasure as the inhabitants screamed in terror as they were immolated as the glass of the bus blew out from the inside, the bodies within burning as fire torched the bus, allowing Agravaine to return to his normal form.

“What is it?” he demanded, and Rhyley looked at him breathlessly, his eyes alight with excitement.

“The Pombero that we’ve been tracking, it’s taken Lydia’s mother. And I know where she is.” He boasted, and Malakai looked at his brother, unimpressed.

“And why would we care about the banshee, she’s not even properly trained, even with the Scuffock in town.” He pointed out, and Rhyley grinned annoyingly at his brother.

“I know, but the pack will rally to help her wont they, which means…”

“They’ll all be in one place. Good job kid. Shall we pay them a visit Agravaine?” Thane asked, his eyes glinting with malice, and Agravaine smiled, examining his nails.

“Yes, I think we ought to don’t you?” he asked, and with a savage bark he turned back into a dog form, and led his barking and braying pack, summoning his whists and revenants as he did so, towards the confrontation with Scott’s pack.

 

XX

 

“Why the hell isn’t he answering?” Scott demanded as Isaac shook his head behind him, one arm wrapped around his waist while he tried to get Liam on the phone as they drove through a street lined with small apartment buildings.

“Don’t freak out, we’ll find him. I take it you can’t get a scent?” he asked feebly, and Scott shook his head.

“No there’s too much smoke in the air, not to mention everything else going on tonight, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate him or Garrett if they’re still out there. I swear, if they got hurt trying to beat sense into Mason’s skull and he didn’t let them come in out of danger…” Scott snarled, and Isaac suddenly tensed, his claws digging into Scott’s side slightly which made Scott let out an involuntary whimper of pain as he did so.

“Ow, why’d you do that?” he demanded, and Isaac nodded his head up ahead.

“Um, because my recently returned from the dead big brother has just spotted us and is probably wanting to know what the hell we’re doing out here when it’s like there’s a riot going on and the town is full of psychopathic nasties.” He pointed out, and Scott swore under his breath, the last thing they needed was to honour the old tradition of dodging difficult questions from people who weren’t yet on the chessboard, not when they had to find the younger kids, and also when there was something else amiss, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it but still…

“Isaac, Scott, what the hell are you two doing out here?” Camden asked as he came towards them, most unfortunately as a scream echoed in the distance, which only made Camden’s eyes widen in further alarm.

Isaac got off the bike, heading to his brother, but as he did so, he stopped, something was playing at his nose, a familiar scent, but a second later it was gone, so thinking nothing more of it, he headed to his brother.

“We’re trying to find Liam and Garrett, they’re out here somewhere.” He explained, just as Scott checked his phone and swore, Lydia’s mother had been taken by the Pombero, that was something they could have done without, they had enough problems with the Ghost Pack causing havoc tonight, they certainly didn’t need their resident banshee killer kidnapping their science teacher, and besides, they had gone through enough of them as it was, they didn’t need to add Natalie to the list.

“You’re out, riding around on a motorbike, looking for two kids that if they have any sense at all will probably be inside anyway?” he asked suspiciously, and Scott nodded, his face impassive.

“Yeah, we’re kind of protective of them. And another friend of ours, Lydia, her mother’s caught up somewhere in all this, so we need to go and help her find her mom too.” He told him, while Camden arced an eyebrow at him and Isaac looked at him in surprise as he hadn’t heard about Lydia’s mother yet.

“Um, what’s wrong with going to the police?” he asked, and Scott exchanged a look with Isaac, who turned to his brother, his face the picture of innocence.

“Well they’re going to have enough to worry about without looking for Lydia’s mom, or Liam and Garrett, so between the lot of us we can probably get it done a lot quicker anyway.” He reasoned, though Camden still didn’t look convinced, to both boys irritation.

“So let me get this straight, you two, and your friends, are going out to look for your other friends and one of your friend’s mom, in the middle of anarchy, when you could easily get hurt or killed?” he asked suspiciously, and Scott was beginning to get seriously ratty with the questions, after all, this guy screamed suspicion and he didn’t treat him like this, but before Scott could lose his temper, Isaac, perhaps sensing imminent danger from his wound up boyfriend, stepped in.

“Cam, they’re our friends and they could be in trouble, didn’t you go out in the middle of the night one time to rescue your friend’s cat that was stuck up a tree?” he demanded, and Camden sighed, admitting defeat, though he did look at his brother worriedly, then at Scott.

“I get that you guys want to protect your friends, but still, have you seen it out there, the place is in total chaos! It’s like there’s riots going on out there, you two shouldn’t be going around on your own.” He said in concern, and Isaac glowered at his brother.

“Hey, you don’t get to come back from the dead and play the overprotective big brother card ok? I was on my own a lot, and Scott and I can look after each other ok?” he asked, and Camden sighed in irritation, nodding placatingly.

“Ok, I get it, you’re all grown up now and don’t need me, I’m with the program.” He assured him and Isaac deflated a little bit, feeling a little bad, he knew he had to be testing the waters, and he was just trying to look out for him.

“I’m sorry ok? It’s just after so long it’s weird having someone care for me like that again.” He told Camden, leading Scott to give him a kicked puppy, reproachful look.

“I care about you like that.” He pointed out petulantly, and Camden and Isaac both grinned as Isaac turned to smile at his boyfriend.

“Yeah but you’re different.” He assured him, which nevertheless made Scott grin happily, at least until he turned his attention back to Isaac’s brother.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” he asked curiously, and Camden waved a hand at the plumes of smoke rising into the air, above the din of screams, shattering glass and sirens.

“I was just out, looking for places to stay when all this started going down, whatever the hell it is.” He explained, and Scott looked at him curiously.

“Out in this? How did you avoid…whatever’s going on?” Scott asked, correctly interpreting Isaac’s glare, and Camden shrugged.

“No idea, just lucky I guess somehow. I was heading home, which is where you guys should be heading too.” He told them, making Isaac shoot him a frustrated look.

“Cam…” he said in annoyance as Scott detected a brief hint of a familiar smell, but when it didn’t return he thought nothing more of it.

“I know, sue me for being your big brother. Ok, I’ll head home and keep an eye on your mom for you ok Scott? Be careful guys, and please keep an eye out of my brother would you?” Camden asked, and Scott nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Course I will. And mom will be ok, she’s used to living here by now.” He said coolly, and Camden sent him an odd look, but nodded to himself.

“All the same, I’ll keep an eye on her anyway ok? Find your friends, and stay out of trouble!” he called, suddenly wincing a little and holding his arm, which for some reason Scott briefly saw as green, just as a window blew out above them, caused by a fire which had apparently been spreading through the building, unnoticed by any of them.

“You ok?” Isaac asked frantically, rushing to his brother’s side, and Camden nodded, glaring resentfully at the window which had blown out and barely missed him.

“Yeah I’m fine. Be careful.” Camden warned, waved them goodbye and headed off into the smoky darkness, and Isaac looked worriedly at his brother vanishing until he got a whiff that he certainly didn’t like: hostility, and worst of all, it was coming from Scott.

“Scott? What’s your problem with Camden?” Isaac asked, his voice a low, menacing growl, and Scott cursed under his breath, he’d been hoping to keep his feelings towards Camden quiet, but he hadn’t considered what his chemosignals would give away, which in hindsight was quite a stupid thing to overlook.

Scott looked at his boyfriend, resigning himself to the fact that this wasn’t going to go down well. Oh crap, there was already rage simmering in Isaac’s eyes, yeah, this wasn’t going to be pretty, not at all.

“I don’t have a problem with Camden.” Scott assured him, moving towards the bike, hoping that this could be put off until later, but he knew Isaac better than that, he’d seen Isaac react in exactly the same way when people badmouthed him, and Ethan too to be fair, and now his boyfriend’s hackles were raised, and either way, they were on a collision course now whether he liked it or not.

“Really? Because for a start, you’re as subtle as a brick through a window, the way you reacted when he said he’d look after your mom was, well, bizarre, and I can smell the resentment and hostility streaming off you, so what gives?” Isaac demanded angrily, and Scott snarled in annoyance, glaring at Isaac.

“I don’t trust him, that’s my problem with him! Ok? I don’t trust him, something about him is just off Isaac, and I know you’re going to hate me for this, and that stinks, but I’m sorry, something about him just doesn’t add up and I don’t want you getting hurt!” he cried, vexed, though he did recoil a little at the hurt, betrayed look Isaac sent him.

“Why don’t you trust him?” Isaac asked in a voice of forced calm, but Scott could see the anger and the hurt rolling in his eyes, and he hated that he was the one who was doing this to him.

“It’s just…his story, it doesn’t add up, there’s something odd about it, and about him too. I know part of it is jealousy, and I’m sorry, but I can’t help being jealous of him, he’s your big brother, and I was used to having you all to myself. But Isaac, there’s something not right about him, about his story, it just doesn’t add up and I don’t like it. I’m sorry.” Scott said, taking a step closer to Isaac, only to receive a threatening growl in return, making him jerk his hand away in fright, the only times Isaac really growled at him like that (an actual growl not a playful one) was when he was really pissed with him.

“Wow…and here I thought it would be Stiles. See, I could accept it from him, he doesn’t trust anyone except you, so I would be able to accept him being suspicious of Camden. But you? Scott, Camden is the first decent thing to happen to me in ages other than you, and you can’t even just I don’t know, pretend! I get that you’re trying to protect me, but he’s my brother! I don’t need protected from him, and especially not by you!” Isaac stormed furiously, and Scott sighed hopelessly.

“Isaac, I know, ok? I feel like a colossal dick but I can’t trust him, there’s something not right, and guess who’ll get hurt if he isn’t on the level, that would be you, I’m just trying to protect you! He isn’t telling you everything and we’ve been burnt before.” Scott said stubbornly, refusing to apologise for trying to make sure Isaac didn’t get his heart broken again, and Isaac shot him a venomous look.

“So what, because you don’t trust him he’s automatically evil? Did it occur to you he didn’t tell us everything because he’s still dealing with what happened to him? He was held captive by the Taliban for five years Scott, he’s hardly going to blurt everything out to a house filled with complete strangers, when he left, I was a kid, now I’m all grown up, he’s adjusting! He’ll tell us everything when he’s ready, and I can’t believe you’re holding it against him that he isn’t just telling us everything. The twins haven’t told us everything, Malia and Kira probably haven’t, and you aren’t treating them like crap, so why Camden?” he demanded, and Scott sneered in anger.

“Because they’re not related to you, and can’t hurt you as much as he could. He’s lying to you, I know he seems to be your brother but we can’t even rely on that, not with Agravaine around, there’s stuff that doesn’t add up, stuff he isn’t telling you and I don’t want you getting hurt when it blows up in our faces like everything else does in this damn town!” Scott roared, and Isaac, his own bloodlust high now, glared at him murderously.

“And when he doesn’t, what are you going to do, apologise, or are you going to take the Stiles approach and mistrust him as long as you can until something proves you right? I could at least accept it from him, that’s just him, we’re all used to it, but you, the person who trusts and likes everyone, decides that the one person he can’t trust and doesn’t like is my big brother?” he stormed back, aware that some people were now chancing a look out of their windows in the apartments that weren’t on fire to peer down at the commotion but not giving a damn.

Scott seethed, glowering at Isaac.

“I want to trust him, believe me, and I don’t want to hurt you, but Isaac, something isn’t right, and I won’t apologise for trying to protect you, to stop you from getting hurt.” He said defiantly, and Isaac shrugged coldly, his eyes hardened with anger.

“Well bully for you. I just thought that my boyfriend might actually be happy that something in my life is good other than him, but obviously not. Kind of pathetic that you’re that threatened by him.” Isaac sniped and Scott growled under his breath the two of them standing in the middle of the street, ignoring the flames rising into the air.

“I’m right about him Isaac.” Scott said, determined to have the last word, only to be met by a hostile glare from his boyfriend.

“Go to hell. What’s Lydia’s problem?” he shot at him angrily, and Scott sighed, they really needed to talk about this, to fix it, but Isaac was too pissed to even consider that he might have a point at the moment, so he knew it would be a losing battle.

“Her mom’s been kidnapped by the Pombero.” He replied curtly, and Isaac shot Scott a final glare before donning his helmet and stomped towards the bike.

Scott sighed as he donned his own helmet, he hadn’t wanted Isaac to be clued in to his suspicions about Camden, and now that he thought about it, he could see why Isaac was so pissed, all he would see is his boyfriend, who was meant to love him, not trusting one of the few good things to happen to him in a very long time. Yeah, he was never going to win any boyfriend of the year awards like that. As he climbed onto the bike, Isaac barely wrapped his arm around Scott’s waist, a far cry from how tightly he usually did, and Scott felt that like a kick to the gut as he turned the bike on, Isaac’s simmering silence communicating better than words ever could as Scott drove away, a dark cloud hanging over the two of them as he did so.

 

XX

 

“Lydia?” Aiden cried as he and the others barged through the front door, to find an incredibly enraged Martagh waving her staff around her, muttering bitterly under her breath as she did so.

“She isn’t here, the silly girl ran off to confront the Pombero alone.” She told them curtly, and Jackson looked at her in disbelief.

“What, are you kidding? Is she crazy, that thing flattened the entire pack didn’t it, and she can’t even fight, what chance does she have?” he demanded, and Martagh’s eyes flashed.

“None, which is exactly the point, the foolish little brat is going to get herself killed. Hmm…I feel a strange sympathy for Yoda all of a sudden, both of us are teaching over emotional little brats with a death wish!” she stormed, gesturing with her staff carelessly and giving a sheepish look as the tv flew off its stand and smashed against the opposite wall.

“Oops.” She said feebly, and Danny looked at her, a stupefied expression on his face.

“Wait, she knew we were on our way, and you were here, why didn’t she just take you, or wait for us?” he demanded, and she snorted derisively as she began weaving her staff again.

“Because that would be the obvious, brain using decision, instead she is acting on impulse, she saw her mother die in a vision and flew off to prevent it though she has as much chance of fighting the damned Pombero as I do of becoming an international singing star.” She ranted, and Aiden and Jackson growled in anger, panic rising inside them as their eyes flashed blue.

“Well all we need to do is track her down then, before she gets herself hurt.” Aiden decided, and Martagh shot him an unimpressed look.

“What do you think I’m doing here, windmilling about, foretelling the weather? I’m trying to discern where she went so we can go and save her so I can kill her myself you idiot boy. By all means though Snoopy, start sniffing.” She ordered, waving her staff at the tv which repaired it and sent it back to where it belonged, allowing her to once again pick up her attempts to find Lydia.

Aiden and Jackson began sniffing, trying to get a clear read on her scent, praying that they would get some hint of where she had gone so they could find her before it was too late, well, find both Lydia and her mother before the Pombero got whatever the hell it was that she was after from either of them. Martagh continued her spell, watching as the three wolves sniffed around, trying to get a lock on Lydia’s scent, shaking her head in irritation at her apprentice’s brainless move, and at her own stupidity in allowing it to happen. She should have known the girl wouldn’t just stand down while her mother was in danger, that she wouldn’t even wait for her friends, no, of course not, that would be too simple and too obvious, there was much more glamorous ways of trying to get oneself killed, like death by Pombero when one barges into her hideout completely unarmed and unprepared for a battle with the creature.

“Anything?” Danny asked, and Ethan shook his head, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Nothing. I can’t believe she would just up and leave like that, is she trying to get herself killed? Are you two having any more luck?” he asked his twin and Jackson, and Aiden shook his head, throwing a nasty look at Jackson as he did so.

“No, but it would help if he had the faintest idea of how to track, which he doesn’t by the way. He keeps getting in my way and messing up my trail, which is pretty dumb considering I’ve been with her the most recently so have her scent better than he does.” He pointed out, making Danny and Ethan roll their eyes.

“Yeah, but unlike you, who she was using for cheap sex with no strings attached, she actually loved me, and I know her better than you do too, so why not leave this to someone who knows a bit better than you huh?” he asked, and Aiden gave a vicious snarl which made Jackson growl back, both of them prepared to pounce on one another before Danny came in between them, Ethan sending him an alarmed look as he did so, getting in between two wolves who were about to fight one another wasn’t a healthy move.

“Will the two of you grow up? Yeah you both love Lydia, yeah you both care about her, and yeah you’re both worried about her, but really, how is you pair constantly trying to one up the other going to help find her? Now grow up, shut up and try to find her, and for goodness sake act your age, or I will stick my taser so far up your backsides that every time you sneeze sparks will come out of your ears!” he raged, and Ethan’s jaw dropped open in delighted shock as both Aiden and Jackson looked down at their shoes, scuffing their feet as Martagh came over, looking at Danny with proud approval.

“Good for you son. As it happens, I have a bead on her location, so shall we head out? And I would appreciate none of your alpha male wannabe nonsense, I have little use for hormonal teenagers. Follow me.” She said, sweeping from the house with the four boys behind her, Jackson and Aiden now sniffing the air silently, Aiden throwing the occasional resentful look back at Danny while Jackson sent him a reproachful one as he and a delighted Ethan brought up the rear as they headed out into the night to find their absent member.

 

XX

 

Natalie awoke with a start, tied to a chair, gasping in terror as the freezing air assaulted her lungs. It was cold enough out at night, and wherever the hell she was, she seemed to be somewhere even colder than that. She looked around blearily, her breath billowing in front of her as she took in her dark surroundings. She seemed to be in some sort of warehouse, with chains hanging from the ceiling, and plastic tarpaulin sheets separating separate areas of it, making her think it was some sort of slaughterhouse or some such. Blood spattered the floor as far as she could see, and now that she squinted through the darkness, it was like there were several carcasses, beef probably, hanging from the ceiling…wait, cows didn’t have hands. Oh god, oh no, those weren’t cow carcasses, they were human.

Natalie screamed in horror but her breath then caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she cast around for whatever was stopping any noise coming from her, and she eventually found the one who had kidnapped her stalking towards her, a smug smile playing on her wide lips. She ambled towards her, her hunched form, all dressed in rags, her lilac eyes swirling as she approached before stopping and surveying her prize, while a horrified Natalie looked on in silent terror as she saw this creature that had come for her, her long, unkempt dirty white hair wrapped up in knots as the creature or woman or whatever she was allowed herself a pleased smile before ambling towards a body bag, which now Natalie looked at it more intently, seemed to be moving. The woman opened the bag and Natalie strained against the chair support, trying to say something as she saw one of her second year students looking out in terror at the creature that had captured the two of them.

“Please, please don’t…” the girl begged frantically and the creature simply smiled and raised her hand, and Natalie let out a silent scream as the woman punctured the girl’s neck, blood spurting out like a geyser from the hole she had just created and spraying all over the floor as the woman waved her hand, taking a shining pulse from the now dead girl’s neck and the light travelled into her own neck, partially healing the gaping hole in her own neck and allowing the creature to turn its attention back to Natalie, releasing her from her inability to talk as she did so.

“That’s better, now we can have a proper conversation.” The Pombero purred, and Natalie looked at the creature’s dead victim in horror, revulsion and despair clutching at her throat.

“You killed her!” she cried, and the Pombero nodded, smiling slightly.

“Well of course, couldn’t have her making a racket while we talked, and we do need to talk. Do you know what I am?” she asked silkily, and Natalie glared at her.

“Other than a murderer you mean?” she spat, and the Pombero sighed in annoyance.

“We need to have a civilised conversation Natalie. I am a Pombero, what you would know as the natural predator of the banshee. And I need information.” She hissed, unravelling her whip and Natalie glared at her.

“You think I’m going to sell out my daughter to someone who wants to kill her? You’re delusional, kill me if you want, I won’t let you hurt Lydia.” She said stubbornly, and the Pombero let out a small giggle.

“My dear Natalie… you won’t have a choice!” she spat, and Natalie screamed as the whip bit into her shoulder, blood blossoming from the wound already.

Natalie gasped in pain, the wound stinging like crazy as the Pombero began to walk around her, prowling like a predator with her prey trapped, tied to the chair in the centre of the circle that she was prowling in.

“Now, there is an entire pack here, all of whom seem determined to get on my nerves and get in my way. What do you know about them?” she asked, and Natalie let out a burst of hysterical laughter.

“Are you kidding? I won’t tell you a thing!” she spat angrily, and the Pombero rolled her eyes before cracking her whip again, this one peeling some skin off of Natalie’s ankle as the whip hit, Natalie rearing her head back and crying out in pain as she did so.

“Tell me, tell me how I can defeat them. I need to know everything about them, and I won’t be denied. They keep getting in my way, and I don’t have the time or patience for it, so tell me what I can do to get rid of them!” she spat furiously, and after taking a deep, shuddering breath, Natalie glared at her defiantly.

“Go to hell!” she snarled and the Pombero let out a lamenting sigh, stalking around her captive victim menacingly.

“Look lady, I need information. This pack is becoming a thorn in my side, and all I really want is information on how to get them out of the way.” She told her in exasperation and Natalie snorted derisively.

“Yeah out of the way of my daughter, well you can go to hell, I’m not telling you anything!” she declared, and the Pombero sighed in annoyance, raising her whip.

“Well, if you’re going to be that way about things, I don’t see any point in keeping you alive any longer, after all, your daughter knows I have you and is on her way here now, so why keep up the charade?” the Pombero sneered, preparing to kill Natalie when the air suddenly changed in the freezing cold room, and as Natalie turned to see the source of the disturbance, her heart dropped like a stone as Lydia entered the room, glaring at her nemesis, who smirked in triumph as she saw the banshee approach.

“Let her go.” Lydia demanded and Natalie’s voice vanished as the Pombero drained that as well, grinning as she did so.

“Oh certainly, because what use do I have for her…now I have you?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were getting season six people, so in honour, heres a new chapter!
> 
> One chapter left this episode, a showdown is coming, someone else is about to be indoctrinated into the supernatural, and its all leading to episode six where things begin to really heat up
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved!


	25. Episode 5: Maternity Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone new discovers the supernatural, the pack confront the Pombero, and while seeds are planted, an alliance is forged

Two-Pack II

 

Violet looked around nervously as she heard yet another sound of distant, far off glass smashing, and more screams cut into the night air. Whatever the hell was going on tonight, she certainly wanted no part of it. There were plumes of smoke rising into the night air, screams of terror echoed across the town, and sirens and barks seemed to be the main cause of all the din that was turning this usually peaceful town into a warzone, and what was worse, she had no idea why it was happening.

The problem with being a lesbian in a foster home was that you never really knew where she stood with her foster parents. While they seemed nice enough, she kept her sexuality from them, as it wouldn’t be the first time someone had found out how she felt about girls and had hence packed her back into the system without so much as a goodbye. That was part of the reason that she and Garrett got on so well together, the two of them had experiences that were so similar, and they had spent a lot of time together over the years in foster homes and orphanages, the two of them were practically made for each other, if not for the small fact that she liked girls as much as he did.

She had been out on a date tonight, and was now making her way back to her foster home, but the increasing violence of the night was making her rather anxious. It wasn’t like she was defenceless, after all, she had pepper spray and knuckle dusters (a joke gift from Garrett which had actually came in handy on a few occasions now) but still, with the deaths and murders and suicides that had been going on in the town, on top of the prison break, well she could hardly be blamed for being a little skittish about being out on her own especially at night while the entire town seemed to be going to hell.

Another bark echoed across the night school as she debated whether or not to head down the alleyway, she knew it got her home quicker, and she was all for that tonight, but with the town in an uproar like it, was it really worth the risk? She then gasped in shock as behind her fire exploded from a building the next street over, and she made her decision, everything else be damned, she wanted to get home and she wanted to get home right now, so the alleyway it was. Casting an untrusting look back at the burning building with frantic people now spilling out of it, she headed down the alleyway, unaware of the figure gliding above her, orange eyes narrowed hatefully as he scanned the area for his next victim.

To Violet’s great relief, she made it through the alleyway unscathed (and she would never admit to the squeal she had let out when she had seen a rat, she didn’t do rats) and entered a much quieter street, which was virtually now a straight run towards home. Figuring that she could risk it now, she slowed down a little, mulling over the date she had had tonight and wondering if she should call the girl back, after all she had been nice enough but there was just something that she wasn’t feeling about her, she didn’t know, she wanted something else, and that girl was clearly not what she was after but she wouldn’t be adverse to having a little fun with her if she was up for that.

Smiling a little as she got out her phone to text the girl, something moved out of the corner of Violet’s eye, and nervously, fearing it was another rat, she turned, and was relieved to see a little Papillion dog cowering nervously beneath one of the bins that flanked the street.

“Hey little guy, what are you doing out here on a night like this?” she asked, taking a nervous look before squatting down and extending her hand to the dog, smiling a little as his cold nose hesitantly touched her hand, and apparently decided that she was alright and trustworthy before edging out, allowing Violet to stroke the dogs soft fur. As she did so, Violet realised that this dog was in fact not a boy, and was in fact a girl, and one that she had seen many times before during her late night trips around town.

“Prada? What are you doing out here on your own, where’s Lydia, I bet she’s worried sick, come here.” She told the little dog, who seemed quite content to be picked up and Violet held the small dog to her, patting her head and making the dog’s tail wag affectionately.

She would take the dog home with her, she couldn’t be left out on her own on a night like this, and then she would tell Lydia that she had her and that she could come and get her. She knew vaguely where Lydia lived but with the town in the state it was in tonight she didn’t fancy wondering around trying in vain to find Lydia’s house, and besides, that might seem kind of stalkerish on top of everything else, after all Lydia was one of the hottest girls in school, and Violet could hardly be blamed for sharing the crush of most of the school’s male populace, but if she appeared, dog in hand without an explanation, Lydia might get the wrong end of the stick.

“Come on, let’s get you home and out of harm’s way, then we can get you some food ok?” she asked the dog who licked her hand in response, and figuring that that was approval, she was about to set off for home when a horrible screech echoed through the air.

Jumping in fright, Prada started barking and struggling to get free, whipped into a sudden panic by the screech that didn’t sound like it came from anything that was actually meant to be around her, no animal could make that noise, but as Violet struggled to retain her hold on the small dog, she happened to turn around in time to see a monstrous creature with glowing amber eyes swooping down on the two of them from above, razor sharp talons ripping into Violet’s arm as it did so.

Violet screamed in pain as she toppled to the ground, Prada barking in a panic and running off into the night before Violet could even try and stop her, despite her attempts to do so, the little dog vanishing before Violet could even try to track her movements, but then figuring she had other problems to consider, she turned and looked up in horror at her attacker, who was stalking towards her, his glowing amber eyes leaving her in no uncertain terms as to what he intended to do to her.

Significantly taller than her, covered in blade like black feathers, glowing amber eyes set into his face, a wicked looking beak and taloned hands along with chicken like feet, the monster stalked towards her, his clawed hands raised to rip her open, blood was already soaking her because of his first slash, a second slash would most likely kill her, there was no doubt that that’s what he wanted to do, she could see it in his eyes, he wanted her dead, whatever reason it wanted her dead for, she didn’t care, she just didn’t want to die, and she screamed in terror as the beast raised his hands to crush the life from her body.

“HEY!” someone yelled and Violet felt pure, glorious, golden relief, she was saved, she had to be, someone else was here to save her, and now that the monster was distracted, she stuck her hand in her bag, snatching both her knuckle duster and her pepper spray, if this thing thought she was going down without a fight, it could think again.

But then she turned to see exactly who her saviour was, and her heart plummeted like a rock, it was Garrett, who, unlike her, had no defences at all, and beside him was Liam, both of them looking in defiant but ferocious terror at the Owlman, who turned and fixed his baleful glare on them, beginning to stalk towards them instead. Garrett gulped and pushed Liam behind him protectively, as Violet struggled to get to her feet, determined to help them.

“Violet, run, get out of here!” Garrett urged as he met the glare of the Owlman, Liam looking frantically for a weapon, any sort of weapon, that they could use to try and fend the monster off.

“Hell no, I’m not letting you fight this thing on your own, and what is that thing?” she demanded, her voice the highest it had ever been but any reply that Garrett had to offer was cut off by the Owlman suddenly screeching and extending his wings, about to attack, when something silver glinted past Violet’s eye, the birdman shrieking in pain as a dagger embedded itself into his back, the Owlman turning around furiously to see where the attack had come from.

Someone then flipped from above, landing catlike on one hand, golden eyes glowing as he roared, fangs extended and talons ready as he pounced catlike towards the Owlman, a second blade appearing in his hand and plunging into the gut of the Owlman, the birdman’s head rearing back as it screeched in pain as Liam and Garrett suddenly found themselves filled with a sense of relief and reassurance as a hand laid firmly on Liam’s shoulder, and the younger kid couldn’t help but feel they were saved.

Scott roared, eyes glowing red, his own claws and fangs erupting as he sprang towards the monster, Isaac already dancing around the monster, both daggers back in hand as the two werewolves put themselves to battle against the Owlman. Isaac had already removed his daggers from the Owlman and was on the move, twirling through the air, his blades singing in his hands as he slashed into the Owlman, the Owlman screeching in pain as he did so, ducking and weaving to try and avoid Isaac’s attack but it was then that the Alpha entered the battle, roaring in challenge, his claws ripping into the back of their assailant and slashing through skin, feather and wing, the birdman letting out a pained shriek of terror as he did so. Scott then plunged his claws into the Owlman’s side, the Owlman struggling against his strong hold but he was then immediately beset by Isaac, ring daggers glinting in the moonlight, slashing into his wings and puncturing the delicate lines that made up the various segments of his wings. The Owlman screeched in pain, finally wrenching himself free of Scott’s claws, turning and slashing at Scott with his clawed hands. Scott backflipped to avoid the attack while Isaac danced out of the way of yet another retaliatory slash but now the Owlman had regained its bearings and was out for blood.

However, as the creature flapped its wings, Violet, enraged by its earlier attack then appeared from nowhere, releasing a torrent of pepper spray into his eye, the Owlman stumbling backwards, slashing wildly through the air in blinded fury and both Scott and Isaac looked at the girl in shock, not having expected her to directly attack the Owlman like that. Stumbling backwards, Garrett drove his fist into the monster’s back, the beast falling forward, only to be met by Liam driving a strong kick into its solar plexus. The Owlman then gave a furious cry, its claws going right for Liam’s throat only for his attack to be met by the combined force of Scott and Isaac, both of them launching themselves into his stomach, making the breath wheeze out of him as they tackled him to the ground, all three of them slamming to the ground in a heap, the Owlman giving a furious cry of blistering rage as it did so, its feet slashing through the air, both wolves roaring in pain as the talons dug into their shoulders. With the two boys distracted, the Owlman flapped its wings, knocking the two of them off of him and allowing him to get back to his feet, cawing at them in challenge as his five enemies glowered at him, prepared to counter his next move, whatever that might be.

However, with one final, disdainful look, he flapped his wings and flew off into the air, appearing to fly with a slight limp if that was possible and he vanished from view, leaving the five of them panting for breath, well, at least until Violet got her voice back.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded as Garrett crossed to her and wrapped her in a hug, trying to calm her down while Liam looked at the two wolves uncertainly, both of them exchanging a vexed look before Scott sighed in reluctant annoyance, there was no point trying to hide it from her.

“That was the Owlman, we’re werewolves. The supernatural exists, and this town, well this town gets a lot of it coming through, all of them determined to kill us all. And the town’s in a state like this because we think the weredogs that are in town trying to kill us all are trying to draw me out or something like that.” He explained, and Violet spluttered in shocked surprise, looking at both Scott and Isaac, kind of starstruck.

“You guys have claws, fangs, and you can fight like crazy, and that thing, it was trying to kill me, what the hell did I do?” she demanded angrily, and Isaac glowered resentfully at the sky where the Owlman had vanished.

“We don’t really have an idea, all we know is he goes around murdering people randomly, and taking out their dogs too.” He complained, sending an icy look into the night, but Garrett shook his head as he held Violet, who was only slightly shaking now.

“She doesn’t have a dog.” He explained as Liam hovered behind him worriedly, but to their surprise Violet shook her head.

“No I don’t, but I had just found Prada, you know, Lydia’s dog, just before he attacked, do you think that’s why he attacked me, because I had her with me at the time?” she shrieked, and Scott looked at Isaac who shrugged while not completely meeting his eyes.

Figuring he was still in the bad books, Scott shook his head as he looked at the younger girl.

“Could be, we don’t really know, but it would fit the profile we’ve seen so far, he’s been attacking people with dogs for some reason or other. Are you ok?” he asked, noticing that she was trembling a lot less than the three boys had been when they had discovered the supernatural.

Violet gave herself the once over, and after assuring herself that she was alright, she nodded, though she still looked at the two wolves in surprise.

“Yeah, I think so, thanks to you guys, you have some cool fighting skills.” She breathed, and Garrett grinned a little as he rubbed her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow in amusement.

“I don’t know, you certainly made him think twice when you smacked him with your knuckle dusters.” He told her proudly, and she grinned.

“And you thought they were just a funny thing to give me. But these dogs, what do they want?” she demanded, and Scott shook his head.

“Don’t worry, they aren’t your problem ok? Speaking of, can you two get her home? We’d take you to make sure you get home, but you should be safer together, and I can’t fit all three of you onto the bike, and we need to go help Lydia. You can tell Violet the little bit that you know too, see if that helps.” Scott said, heading towards his bike with Isaac following silently in his wake, and Liam looked at the two of them worriedly.

“Wait, are you two ok, don’t you need us to go with you?” he asked in concern, something didn’t seem right between the two of them, which seemed really odd to say the least, and Isaac shook his head.

“No, it’s fine, we need to go and help Lydia, she’s in trouble. Just get Violet to safety, and you two, stay there too, we don’t want you in trouble as well.” He warned, climbing onto the back of the bike behind Scott, and Violet looked at them incredulously.

“Are you crazy, you can’t just show up after I’ve been attacked by some freaky birdman and then drive off into the night, you’re not Batman for god sake, what the hell is really going on in this town?” she stormed, and Scott flashed his red eyes at her, making her simmer down quickly.

“We told you, the supernatural exists, and it’s out of control, yet again. We need to go and help Lydia ok, but we’ll talk to you tomorrow, I promise.” Scott assured her, and Garrett nodded.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get her home safe.” He promised, and both wolves nodded as Scott gunned the engine as Liam stepped forward, looking at both the older boys in concern.

“Are you two sure you’re ok?” he asked nervously, and Scott allowed himself a small sigh before meeting Liam’s gaze.

“We’re fine.” He said with such harsh finality that they clearly weren’t but before Liam could ask anymore, Scott gunned the engine and the bike leaped forward into the night, leaving the three younger teenagers standing in their wake.

“So the supernatural exists, and what, are you guys some sort of supernatural warriors?” Violet demanded, eyes alert for any sign of Prada which of course there was none to be had.

Garrett scoffed in amusement.

“Um no, we just got roped into all this too, we’re nearly as new as you are, but we know a little. But Scott’s right, and if he’s right about the dogs being behind this, we need to get you home before we meet them because we have before and trust me, they’re not very nice people, come on. You too Liam!” he called, jerking his friend out of his anxious reverie as he pondered just what was going on between Scott and Isaac.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” He said, casting a last conflicted look at the direction in which Scott and Isaac had driven before dashing to catch up with Garrett and Violet, whose voice was rising in pitch with every new question that she asked of Garrett as he explained to her what had happened the first night they had encountered the supernatural.

 

XX

 

“The Callaveras do not surrender!” one of Ramon’s supporters declared as Erica, Matt and Boyd led a pack of whists in an attack against the beleaguered hunters.

Kate looked down on the scene from the top of an adjacent building, supremely unimpressed by the actions of the Callavera clan. They were barely competent, and Ramon had led this faction out in force, putting down a few whists as he had done so, but not realising that he was heading right to a junction where he would easily be trapped by the whists and the revenants that were circling around the middle of the city, clearly looking for something or other. And as a result, Ramon had marched his faction right into the middle of a killing ground from which there would be no escape.

The fight had started well enough for the hunters, taking down a few of the whists while avoiding contact with the three revenants who seemed to be holding back for some reason, but the hunters good fortune hadn’t lasted for long, for not long after the hunters had begun pressing against the tide of undead dogs and half resurrected zombies, it was then that one of the Gytrashes had arrived, his corrosive saliva scarring the face off of one of Ramon’s biggest supporters, his red eyes glowing in malevolence, the entire faction of the clan now trapped and at his mercy. The Gytrash then pounced, ripping into Ramon’s supporters, the revenants and whists backing him up and slaughtering the gathered faction, and now, by this late stage of the game, the outcome was nowhere near in doubt.

Kate typed out a text to her father, the screams and yells of the Callaveras filling the air as Ramon’s faction struggled to stay alive.

‘Really dad, you want to recruit the Callaveras? The kid’s pack has more brains, and the pack has Derek freaking Hale in it’ she sent in protest, and looked down to see the Gytrash rip apart the Callavera who was trying to protect a panicking Ramon, who was looking incredibly indecisive.

And it was then that Kate’s faith was rewarded as a convoy of jeeps and bikes roared into view, slamming into the three revenants and sending their bodies hurtling up the street, the two wolves roaring in annoyance as they did so, and Ricard then emerged from the lead jeep, scattering the remaining whists with machine gun fire while the Gytrash snarled viciously, before bounding towards him, determined to kill this one who had interfered with his kill. Kate’s eyes then flicked to one of the other roads into the junction, and smiled in approval as Garcia’s group arrived in a blaze of smoke, forcing the Gytrash to back away from Ricard just as a third group of vehicles arrived, this time commanded by Angelique, all of them scattering the remaining whists and sending heavy rounds in the direction of the revenants who had begun to recover.

“Ricard, what are you doing?” Ramon demanded in shock, struggling to his feet, and Ricard swore at him in Spanish before gesturing to the car.

“Saving our family from getting themselves killed under your leadership, we’re getting out of here, now move!” he bellowed, and Kate smiled, yes, she was right, Ricard was the one that they needed, but if Garcia and Angelique were smart enough to ally with Ricard, then perhaps she shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss them.

‘Yes, but don’t worry, we don’t need that many, and I know you have other uses for them’. Came the reply, and she smiled, that was so much better, and also suited the plans she had put together for the situation that was unravelling in the town. Time to go to work.

“Alright boys, don’t kill Ramon, just make sure you scare him towards me. Angelique and Garcia, we can recruit. Kill their deputies. But let Ricard leave alive, and if need be, save him.” She ordered, and with that her Berserkers sprang from the building they were standing on, crashing down to the ground, killing two whists before the dogs even registered that they were there.

The Berserkers breath billowing from their skull masks in the cold night air, they then began to force their way through the milling ranks of the whists, and all that remained of Ramon’s most loyal supporters. Kate watched in approval as her boys impaled Angelique’ deputy on one of their swords before throwing his body towards the Gytrash, who snarled in fury and bounded towards them, only to be met with the stone cold resistance of the Berserker. As one of her Berserkers fought the Gytrash, another one decapitated Garcia’s deputy, scattering his men as Ricard rallied his clan to his cause, all of them flocking towards him as the remaining two Berserkers started to push Ramon, Angelique and Garcia away from the rest of the group, leaving Ricard in sole charge of the diminished numbers of Callaveras. And as the Berserker gained the advantage over the Gytrash, Ricard finally clambered into his jeep, calling a retreat, the vehicles crashing their way away from the junction, prompting the Gytrash to howl in fury as they made good their escape.

The dog then turned to see the last few remaining Callavera members who had been abandoned by their brethren and were now trying to escape the combined might of the Berserkers and the whists, and he was about to join in the fun when Agravaine’s bark echoed across the town, making the dog slink away in annoyance, the whists and revenants following him as the Berserkers killed the few remaining clan members, leaving the three would be leaders cowering in mercy, and just as they feared their time had come, the Berserkers stopped, turning their gaze down to Ramon.

“Please, let us go, we won’t harm you I swear…” Ramon begged as the Berserkers bent down and picked up both Garcia and Angelique, both of them crying out and struggling in protest as they were thrown over their shoulders.

“Put us down, let us go!” Angelique screamed as Ramon looked at the Berserkers pleadingly.

“Please, just take them, I won’t bother you ever again!” he insisted, getting to his feet, but then shuddered in shock as vicious claws plunged through his back and out through his stomach.

“Damn right you won’t.” Kate spat in contempt, allowing Ramon’s dead body to drop to the ground, shaking the blood from her claws as she did so.

“La Loba…” Garcia breathed in shock, and Kate smiled, patting his cheek fondly.

“Correct bright spark, that’s me. See I have plans, and you three would get in my way, but unlike Ramon there,” she said, indicating the dead body, “you two might still be of use to…the Bone Woman.” She purred and the blood drained from both their faces in terror, and both of them began to scream as they realised what Kate had in mind for them both, and the Berserkers heaved them away, Kate following in their wake, everything now going exactly according to plan.

 

XX

 

Lydia screamed as she was thrown over the room, the Pomberos whip cracking with vicious glee as she slammed into the freezing wall, the Pombero appearing right behind her and crashing her victim’s skull into the wall.

“Like I said, all I need to know is a little bit of information and then this can all end.” The Pombero hissed as Lydia fell to the floor, rolling in pain while Natalie pleaded behind them, pleading to the Pombero’s unhearing ears to let her daughter go.

Lydia struggled to pull herself to her feet, only for the whip to crack into her hand, Lydia

crying out in pain as the leather bit into her, flaying the skin off and letting blood trickle to the floor as Lydia backed away, trying to escape, only for the whip to crack again, this time cutting into her leg, Lydia rearing her head back in pain as the leather stung into her skin.

“It’s simple really you see Lydia, the order of life you could call it. You see, you are a banshee, a worthless creature that acts as a supernatural alarm bell when some pointless little waste of air is about to snuff it. You can’t do anything, all you can do is scream and watch the bodies pile up. You see, people like me, a Pombero like my good self, we are predators, you are the prey, so why should we be condemned to be dirty and ugly and mute while banshees get their voices and anything else they want? Well no more little Lydia, this time, I will stay as I’m meant to be, and this curse that I’m under will end. Now dearie, why not tell me everything I need to know about your little friends so I can end them the next time they try to get in my way?” the Pombero spat furiously as she advanced towards Lydia, who glared up at her, still refusing to be cowed.

“Go to hell. Why do you want me dead anyway, just so you can look better than the crippled old crone you are?” she demanded and the Pombero’s eyes flashed in irritation at the jibe, before she lashed out, her foot colliding with Lydia’s mouth, filling it with blood before she kicked her in the stomach, making Lydia wheeze in pain before delivering a final kick for good measure.

“Why do I want you dead? Your voice you stupid girl! Yes the looking good and all that is a benefit too, no doubt about it, but I need your voice. You have no idea what’s coming do you? The world will soon be consumed by flames, and I will not allow myself to be killed just because some bratty little teenager doesn’t want to give me something she has no right to in the first place! I need your voice for power, to make myself strong, and the stronger I am, the better my chances of surviving what is to come!” she hissed angrily, and Natalie looked at the monster in disbelief.

She was doing all this to protect herself against something else that was still to come? She got that part of it was the nature of the Pombero, after all, she was the natural predator of the banshee, and absorbing Lydia’s voice would make her young and beautiful and give her the power to talk along with more power as well, but she wanted all of this because of some other threat that was still to come over the horizon?

“Leave her alone!” Natalie screamed, and the Pombero turned to face her, her face the picture of disdain as she did so while Lydia whimpered weakly at her enemy’s feet.

“I told you, I need her, and if I’m to stay here where power is flowing the strongest because of the nemeton, then I’m going to need to deal with the pack, which means I will rip the information from her, and then I’ll kill her.” The Pombero purred coldly while Lydia tried to back away from her attacker, but didn’t quite move fast enough, catching the eye of the Pombero, making the monster turn and crack her whip into her back, Lydia crying out in pain as the whip lashed into her skin, blood blossoming over her back as the Pombero prowled towards her, her whip raised to strike again.

“Now girl, tell me how I can remove the pack from my side and I will make this painless.” She hissed, and Lydia rolled over, mustered her strength and spat at the Pombero, whose face turned to one of outrage as she did so.

“You can go to hell.” Lydia spat, her lips swollen from the earlier attack, and the Pombero howled in fury, springing on Lydia, her fist hammering a crying Lydia in the face as she ruthlessly assaulted her, Natalie screaming at the two of them as the Pombero ruthlessly assaulted Lydia, Lydia’s fingernails swiping and legs kicking to try and drive the Pombero off of her, but to no avail, the monster was too strong, and with a vicious, slurpy sounding breath, the Pombero brought her hand back to crash into Lydia’s already hammered face when there was a furious snarl as two hands slashed upwards, ripping into the Pombero and forcing her off of Lydia, who curled into a ball, crying weakly, her face a bloody, bruised mess as her other injuries seared with pain, not even noticing as Jackson, eyes glowing an icy blue, fangs and claws extended, stood in front of the fallen banshee, glaring at the Pombero as she got back to her feet.

“Get away from her.” He snarled, and the Pombero snorted in amusement, cocking her head as she would at a small child.

“Really boy? I’ve already proven myself to your friends, are you sure you want to try this approach again?” she sneered, and Jackson allowed himself a small smile.

“Well, as I wasn’t there the first time, yeah, I feel like I’m missing out. But those two, well, they really want to try it again!” Jackson gloated, and the Pombero turned in time to see the twins flip down and land catlike at the bottom of the stairs, eyes glowing, snarls echoing in their throats as they prepared to fight the Pombero, and Danny emerged at the top of the stairs bow ready and aimed at their enemy.

The Pombero snorted in amusement as she beheld the group that had assembled to try and stop her, though the laugh died in her exposed throat when she saw Martagh enter the room, Natalie’s eyes quickly finding the Scuffock, suddenly reassured that her daughter would be safe now.

“Alright, I suppose that makes this a little more interesting. Shall we then?” she asked, cracking her whip, and the three wolves roared and Danny fired an arrow at the Pombero, who was already on the move, cartwheeling away from the projectile as Jackson and the twins closed in on their opponent.

Jackson sprang, claws coming down at her from on high but her whip cracked out of nowhere, Jackson grunting with pain as it caught him in the stomach, sending him crashing into the wall behind Lydia, who was struggling to get to her feet. The twins were then on the Pombero, both of them ducking and weaving, filling in the gaps in each other’s attacks as they pushed their advantage while arrows rained down as fast as Danny could fire them, one finally reaching its target, the Pombero screeching in pain as the tip punctured her shoulder, making a beeline right for Danny at the top of the stairs. Natalie looked at Martagh in panic, Danny wasn’t like the others, he had no chance in close quarters against a creature, but the Scuffock just prowled the edge of the room, critically evaluating each of their performance.

Natalie needn’t have worried however as Danny vaulted from the top of the stairs, escaping the stampeding Pombero and allowing both twins to throw themselves up the stairs after the Pombero while Jackson forced Danny behind him, immediately dropping to his knees and helping Lydia to sit up.

The Pombero cracked her whip, making Aiden cry out in pain as the leather slashed into his face, raising his hands in an attempt to cover himself but as she drew her whip back to strike again, Ethan grabbed her weapon, wrapping it around his hand and jerking it from her grip. Turning to him furiously, the Pombero let out one of her sonic attacks, Ethan crying out in pain as the sound crashed into him like a bus, toppling him over the railing and making him plummet to the ground, shattering it as he impacted. Aiden gave a furious roar, surging towards her but she grabbed him by the neck, slammed his head into the railing, dazing him then throwing him over the railing, landing on top of Ethan with a sickening crash. Natalie winced as she saw this, then turned to Martagh, who still remained at the edge of the room, observing, doing nothing.

“As always, you are dictated by your emotions, yes, the two of you do make a more powerful whole but not at the expense of your own skills!” Martagh scolded as the twins pulled each other to their feet as the Pombero flipped back down to their level, only to be beset immediately by Jackson. Twirling through the air, she grabbed the body of the dead girl, forcing her into Jackson’s way, giving him pause and that second was all she needed to blast him away with another sonic attack, Jackson roaring in annoyance as he crashed through several of the hanging bodies to the floor.

The twins then returned as Danny, with a weak and whimpering Lydia behind him started firing arrows again. Ethan grinned, seizing an arrow from the air, twisting and stabbing it into the chest of the Pombero, who screamed in annoyance before punching him in the face, gesturing and with that his voice went streaming out of him, the Pombero allowing herself a smug smile before delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to his chest, throwing him across the room. Martagh shook her head in the corner, lamenting their efforts, but at least they were doing better than the first time they had encountered her. Aiden then dug his claws into her side, but she reached up, locking him in a headlock and pulling him over her shoulder, crashing him to the ground and stomping on his chest, making him cough and roll weakly on the ground as she also took his voice. It was then that she had to duck to avoid Danny’s last arrow, which would have skewered her neck had she not moved, but as she turned furiously to face him, the arrow was then plunged into her back, making the Pombero rear her head back as she screamed in pain. Turning, she seized Aiden from the floor, throwing him bodily into the numerous hanging bodies as Jackson sprang through the shaking dead bodies, his claws going right for her throat. Flipping away from his attack, she snatched her whip from the floor beside Ethan, cracking it, the whip coiling around Jackson’s neck.

Jackson’s eyes bulged in surprise as she cackled, slinging her whip onto one of the meat hooks above them and yanking him into the air. Jackson struggled for breath, his legs kicking as his eyes began to roll and face began to go scarlet as he struggled for breath, the Pombero laughing mockingly below him as he did so. Danny looked up in terror, fearing for Jackson’s life but as he moved to try and help him, she gestured, a sonic blast crashing into him and dropping him on top of Lydia in a heap while the twins pounded towards her, determined to finish her. Martagh knew what was going to happen a second before she did it, and as predicted, the Pombero sprang into the air, both twins slamming into each other with a horrible crunch, further compounded by the Pombero dropping down on top of them, driving their heads to the floor as she cackled.

“Help them!” Natalie screamed from her position in the centre of the room, failing to understand why Martagh wasn’t helping them, and Martagh sighed in annoyance, she had hoped they could do this together but she was clearly going to have to intervene, if nothing else, Jackson was gagging for air, his face scarlet, eyes rolled back as he fought for breath and the twins were struggling to pull themselves to their feet beneath the Pombero.

A dagger then flashed through the air, severing the whip and dropping Jackson to the ground, allowing him to suck in much needed air and the Pombero turned to see Scott, Isaac, Kira, Malia, Stiles, Derek, Braeden and strangely enough Peter, all emerging into the room. With a furious roar, Scott leapt down from on high, claws going right for the Pombero’s throat, forcing her off the twins and allowing them back to their feet as, galvanised by their Alpha, they pushed the sudden advantage. The others rushed down the stairs, Malia and Isaac heading for the brawl, Isaac lifting his fallen dagger as he did so, helping the other three to surround their opponent while Derek sprang down, freeing Natalie as he landed and allowing her to run to her daughter’s side while the pack faced down the Pombero once again.

Scott leapt into the air, propelling himself off the shoulders of the twins, the Pombero forced into a retreat as the Alpha came at her from above, blinding her to other threats, which she realised as soon as Isaac’s blades slashed up her sides, dozens of cuts landing in seconds before he plunged them viciously into her back, Scott ripping his claws down her chest as she reared back in pain.

Now furious, she turned, seizing Isaac by the neck and throwing him away from her, Isaac crashing into Stiles and Jackson, who had returned to the fight, and giving her an opening to escape. Kira was on her in seconds, her sword going right for her throat as Malia darted down, rolling into a crouch and slashing the back of the Pombero’s legs, the woman screaming in pain as Peter and Derek went in for the kill. The Pombero hissed in annoyance, using a sonic attack to blast the two older wolves away from them, but it was then that a bolt of electricity slammed into her, crackling across her as Braeden glowered at their opponent. Screaming in impotent rage, she intercepted Stiles as he tried to use his gauntlet to rip into her body, bending his arm backwards before headbutting him, determined to make good her escape. The twins then crashed into her from both sides, squashing her in between them, but while it did daze her, it did little to actually stop her, as she then crashed her hands into their skulls and knocked them sprawling to the floor. Jackson then attacked, his claws tearing into her side while Isaac pounced back into the action, plunging his daggers into her shoulder and then following up with his claws in her side. Screaming in fury, she hoisted them from the floor and slammed their heads together, crashing them back to the floor as she bore down on Braeden, who fired another shot, however the Pombero was ready this time, twirling out of the way and stampeding towards her, at least until Peter came at her, snarling in rage, Scott right beside him. The sonic attack she emitted halted Peter in his tracks, but Scott only gave an enraged growl, staggered a little then surged forward, the Pombero looking at him in total shock as he savagely ripped into her with his claws, slashing the glowing vocal chords and with an impotent, silent scream the Pombero watched as her stolen voices fled her body and returned to their owners.

“Stand down!” Scott demanded, and Martagh was looking at him with renewed respect in the corner, but the Pombero only gave a silent scream before running right at him.

Scott was caught by surprise by this unexpected move, and as such she vaulted over him before he could react, and while Stiles did cut into her leg, it was clear that she was going right for Lydia, Danny and Natalie, determined at the very least to end them before she was beaten. The twins and Jackson roared, the three of them surrounding her, roaring in challenge, their claws a tempest of blood as they ripped into her from all sides, the rest of the pack surging into the fight. Isaac injected himself between the slashes of their claws, his blades puncturing her skin as Malia followed his lead, her wicked fangs digging into the ankles of the Pombero. Kira raised her sword into the sky, Braeden firing an electric blast into it, and with a ninja like motion, she twirled through the air, taking advantage of the space between the twins before her electrified sword plunged into the Pombero’s back. Stiles then joined the fight, the Hales right behind him, Stiles ripping into her throat as Peter and Derek brought back their claws to finish her. Unleashing a silent sonic scream, the entire pack was blown away in a cyclone of invisible energy, crashing through the bodies and into the ground, giving her the free run she needed.

And it was then that the furious true Alpha sprang to the ceiling, used that as a springboard and landed right in front of their enemy, plunging his claws into her stomach and as she screamed in silent rage, he hoisted her into the air and cast her across the room, the three would be victims screaming in fright as she hurtled over them at speed, the crimson eyed blur right behind them, as his fist hammered into her face before she could even try to figure out where she was, then grabbing her head before crashing it into the wall. Scott let loose a savage snarl, taking her by the neck and throwing her silently screaming body into the wall, letting loose a cascade of rubble. Scott then gave a final terrible roar, his claws stabbing through her rib cage, hoisting her into the air, and with a final contemptuous snarl, he threw her bodily over the room, crashing her further into the wall, and with a final pained silent scream, the Pombero was buried under an avalanche of broken rubble.

“Huh, thanks for the save.” Jackson said to Isaac, who gave him a small smile before Derek nodded approvingly at Scott.

“Wow, that was some real Alphaing there, good job.” He told him, clapping him on the shoulder, as Peter approached, a smug smirk on his face.

“Yes but now Scott you need to finish it, if not, she won’t stop, she will be back, she will kill again and she won’t stop until Lydia is dead. You need to protect your pack, kill her and be done with it!” he urged, and Scott growled at her, his eyes glowing red.

“What the hell are you doing here? And no, I’m not going to kill her, she’s defenceless. We’d be no better than her.” He snarled, and Aiden looked at Scott incredulously.

“Scott, this bitch has nearly killed all of us twice now, and you just beat her, Peter’s right, she needs to die, otherwise she’ll never stop, you need to protect Lydia!” he insisted, and Scott looked to where Natalie was crying and fussing over her daughter who was whimpering in pain.

“Scott…” Malia said worriedly as Scott looked to Stiles, who shrugged.

After all, they were right, they couldn’t leave the Pombero alive like this, she was a threat to countless people, and it was her job in life to kill Lydia, there was no telling how much more damage she could cause if she wasn’t stopped. But to do that, to kill her in cold blood, no matter what she was, then he’d be no better than Peter, or the twins, and he wouldn’t cross that line, he couldn’t cross it, but he also couldn’t leave Lydia in danger.

“I’ll happily do it for you.” Jackson volunteered, but as Scott looked at the fallen pile of rubble, Malia grabbed his arm, looking at him urgently.

“Scott, we need to go, so if you’re going to kill her, do it now!” she urged, and Stiles looked at her in concern.

“Why the sudden hurry to leave?” he asked nervously, and Natalie gestured wildly at her whimpering daughter, her face a bloody, bruised mess.

“Lydia needs help for a start!” she cried, and Ethan snarled at Martagh as she joined the main group.

“Yeah no kidding, what the hell was that about, why didn’t you help us?” he demanded, making her eyes flash in anger but Malia cut off any potential reply.

“Scott, the dogs! They’re coming, I can hear them, we need to go, like now!” she insisted, and Kira looked worriedly at Scott.

“You know what she’s like, if she wants to run, we generally need to run, besides we can’t fight Agravaine and his entire pack on top of a brawl with the Pombero, we’re too tired, and we’ve been fighting all night, we’ll just get our asses kicked again, so I say we go.” She agreed nervously, and Scott kneaded his head before turning to his pack.

“They’re right, let’s get the hell out of here, we can’t face Agravaine and his pack on top of everything else, so let’s go.” He ordered, and Danny helped Natalie get Lydia to her feet as the pack made for the stairs, but Jackson and the twins, along with Peter and Derek, were looking at Scott as though he was crazy.

“Scott, the Pombero…” Derek warned, but Scott’s eyes glowed red as he turned back to Derek.

“We need to run, we’ve beat her before, if need be, we can beat her again. But I refuse to murder anyone in cold blood…no matter what they’ve done.” He said curtly as he followed Stiles and Malia up the stairs.

Braeden looked at Peter and Derek curiously as the twins and Jackson reluctantly followed their Alpha, their expressions mutinous.

“Really? He won’t kill her even though he probably won’t get a better shot?” she asked in disbelief and Derek sighed in annoyance.

“No, which we should have seen coming. Come on, he’s right about one thing, we need to leave before the dogs show up.” He admitted, throwing a resentful look at the wall, but after all, the word of the Alpha was law, no matter how moronic it seemed, but he couldn’t help but feel that not ending the Pombero would come back to haunt the entire pack.

“I often wonder if he ever gets tired of being so annoying noble.” Peter purred and from the way the twins and Jackson hesitated at the top of the stairs, it sounded like they had heard him and worse, agreed.

Yes this was all going nicely, he thought, as the pack made good its escape just as the echoes of the dog’s barks started to approach.

 

XX

 

“They’re gone. But what do you suppose is the deal here?” Thane asked curiously as they explored the basement where the pack had fought the Pombero, and Bonnie mused as she studied the bodies along with him.

“It looks like the bodies are being stored here for some reason, maybe something like a wendigo or something, something which needs humans to survive but smart enough not to risk fresh kills.” She theorised, and Rhyley opened his mouth, perhaps to ask what a wendigo was, as he hadn’t encountered one before, when Eoghan overrode him.

“Looks like quite the scrap, will killing the Pombero make them stronger?” he asked curiously, and Agravaine allowed himself a small smile.

“Possibly, but it hasn’t, because, you see, the Pombero is over there.” He purred, pointing with a gnarled finger, and Ciara and two whists, along with Boyd, edged towards the pile of rubble and within seconds, the Pombero was revealed.

It was then that her eyes snapped open, leaping to her feet and gesturing at Ciara. Eoghan snarled in warning as his wife’s voice streamed into the Pombero, who then fixed eyes with Agravaine, her eyes boiling with rage, hatred and pain.

“I want that pack dead!” she spat, spittle flying over the room as she did so, beside herself with rage, and Agravaine allowed himself a small smile.

“Then my dear, we are of one mind, and a gentleman of my calibre can always find a use for a lady such as your good self. Perhaps my dear, it’s time we discuss an alliance, to remove this ever increasing thorn in our side before it becomes any worse.” He said graciously, extending his hand, and the Pombero’s eyes lit up in delight but before she could say anything, three figures emerged into the refrigeration mist at the top of the stairs.

“Is that offer open just to the chick with no neck, or is it open to anyone?” a voice asked, and both Agravaine and the Pombero turned, the entire pack following suit as they watched as two Berserkers descended the stairs, flanking the woman behind them with a self-confident smile on her face.

“And you are?” the Pombero asked, and the woman smiled, her eyes turning to a glowing cat like green.

“Kate Argent. And we all have the same problem. Scott McCall.” She purred, and Agravaine and the Pombero smiled as the woman approached them to discuss terms.

 

XX

 

And on top of the facility, the furious and wounded Owlman, his brilliant hearing allowing to eavesdrop on the conversation, gave an enraged screech and he flew off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of episode five, and tomorrow, I shall start episode six!
> 
> Apologies for the delay, my nanna was in hospital last week and the planners thought it was a good idea to build it at the arse end of nowhere so by the time I got there and back I was too tired to do much, and I've been busy this week too but we should be back to normal now!
> 
> How good was this weeks episode by the way (which has nothing to do with Theo's shirtless workout...,)
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos are much appreciated!


	26. Episode 6: Alliance Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Callaveras regroup as new alliances are formed, Martagh reveals the true nature of the world, and Peter begins his plan to rip apart the pack

Two-Pack II

 

“The Callavera clan used to be large, powerful, unique…and after we lost Araya in the space of three months we lost a lot of our clan, a lot of friends, a lot of family. And now Ramon, Angelique and Garcia are all dead too. But I’m not going to do the same things they did, I will lead us properly.” Ricard vowed to the bloodied and woebegone clan members, who fresh from their encounter with the Berserkers and whists, had lost a few members, however, at last count there had been eighteen, but they were down another three and no one knew how.

“And why should we follow your lead? Where were you when Ramon was fighting?” one of the clan members yelled from the back of the room and Ricard glared in the general direction of the voice.

“I was getting help to make sure you all got out of the trap that he led you into! And if there aren’t any objections, I will take over the clan, and then we can focus on these creatures and running them out of town.” Ricard declared, just as the door opened.

Ricard quickly scanned the room, and figured that unless it was one of the ones who had mysteriously vanished and remained unaccounted for then everyone was here, so who could his newcomer be?

“I don’t object, since Araya disappeared the Callavera clan has been flapping in the wind, and you, well handsome, I reckon you have it in you to be a pretty good leader for this sorry band. But if you really want to fix all the supernatural crap in town, you’re going to need help. The sort of help that only I can give you.” The voice said and Ricard looked in surprise as Kate Argent descended the stairs, giving them all a predatory smile.

“And you are?” Ricard asked suspiciously as a few of his more ardent supporters raised their weapons at her threateningly, which only made her give them a smug smile before she headed over to the ringleader of the remaining Callavera members.

“I’ve been watching you Ricard, and I have to say, I’m impressed. I’m Kate Argent.” She purred, extending her hand to him which he shook like giving her an untrusting look.

“Aren’t you meant to be dead?” he asked, and she smiled, her eyebrow raised playfully.

“Misinformation, I was badly wounded but I did survive. And you need help. See, before my so called demise, I was in this town and my niece, god rest her, got involved with the local wolf pack. I know all about them, about the cute, sweet little Alpha…his nerdy best friend, the one on the run but still completely loyal to Scott, about the banshee, see I know all about them. I also know this town, and how it works, and I know that generally, while you do have potential, you’ll need some help until you find your feet as leader. I can help you. And lucky for you,” she said seductively, gently laying her hand on his chest, “I also know a little bit about the other monsters that are in town too, including as it happens, the Berserkers that killed your friends.” She told him, sensing the hostile looks the other hunters were giving her soften as she told them that.

“Really? And you’d help me purely out of the goodness of your heart?” Ricard asked, his eyes narrowed, and Kate smiled.

“Yes, well, not entirely. See, I need firepower if I’m going to get what I want, and you guys are the ones who can provide it. You help me get what I want, settle a few scores take out a few nasties, and I help you establish your control over the clan and give you a few pointers along the way, how does that sound?” she asked and Ricard looked at her dubiously.

“You will help us fix this town, hunt down the dogs and the Berserkers and the pack?” he asked, and Kate nodded.

“Damn straight, if you help me deal with a little pest problem.” She told him and Ricard looked at her, as though trying to find out what her game was, but when nothing sprang to mind, he nodded reluctantly.

“Alright, we can work together.” He said, and Kate grinned as some of the hunters whistled appreciatively.

As the Callaveras chatted among themselves, Kate got out her phone and sent her father a text. With her having donated the Berserkers to Agravaine as part of their agreement, which also meant they would be keeping an eye on him and Peter for her, she had headed right to the Callavera clan, after employing the Berserkers to prune the bush a little more for her in order to bring the numbers of the Callavera clan down to a more manageable level. Now she could also keep an eye on the Callavera clan, and make sure they didn’t pose a threat either outright or by some unhappy accident, which knowing them would be far more likely. And now, with the Berserkers keeping an eye on Agravaine for her, she keeping an eye on the Callavera clan, and also keeping half an eye on Scott and his pack, she had all the bases covered, and what was more, all the factions in town, the Callaveras in particular, could still be of use to them after the current crisis was over. While she herself couldn’t see any possible use for the Callaveras, and was admittedly stumped on why her father was even bothering to make sure he kept them on side for what was to come, he was insistent, so she supposed she had to go along with it. Besides, once all the fun was done here, she would be moving on to get into position for the next stage of her part of the plan. But still, really, the Callaveras?

She looked around the room at the assembled hunters, figuring that if nothing else they would make for useful cannon fodder when the time came. But regardless of what role the clan would play, she and her father had everything all worked out. And useless or not, she was sure that they could find some use for the Callavera clan. And if they lost a few more members along the way, well, it was no great loss was it?

 

XX

 

“Jackson, do you remember where the first aid kit is?” Natalie asked breathlessly as Aiden lowered Lydia down on the couch, eliciting a little moan of pain from her as he did so.

“Yeah, sure.” Jackson said, heading for the stairs as the pack crammed themselves into Lydia’s living room allowing Natalie space to work on her daughter.

“Can I ask why we aren’t taking her to the hospital which is clearly where she needs to go?” Ethan asked, and Scott sighed, kneading his forehead tiredly.

“Because if we do that, we need to explain how she got like this, and if we get anyone other than mom, we are going to get people asking us a lot of awkward questions, we’re appearing in too many cases like this now, and the last thing we need is someone getting more suspicious of us than people already are.” He told him wearily, but he had to admit, not being able to take her to the hospital certainly rubbed him up the wrong way.

Jackson returned to the living room, first aid kit in hand and Natalie began to fuss over Lydia’s injuries, Martagh watching catlike from the corner, fully aware of the bubbling, simmering resentment that was soon to be aimed at her, but not particularly caring at the moment.

“So what was tonight all about, what were the dogs even trying to do, or do you reckon they were working with the Pombero, to distract us while she went after Lydia?” Kira asked, and Malia shook her head, looking doubtful.

“Nah, well, they weren’t working together at the start of the night anyway. Otherwise the dogs would have been waiting for us, and they probably would have just killed Lydia. They might be now though, since she isn’t dead.” Malia said plainly, though leaving no one in doubt as to what she was really getting at with that statement, but to her surprise, Stiles laid his hand on her should to prevent her from saying anything else they might regret, especially on a night like this.

“Scott…” Derek began, but Lydia groaned in pain, waking up groggily.

“Honey, take it easy, we’re patching you up, you’ll be fine.” Natalie assured her stroking her daughter’s hair while she tended to her wounds and Lydia groaned in pain as she did so while both Jackson and Aiden squatted worriedly beside the couch, both of them glaring at her in fury.

“Why the hell didn’t you wait for us?” Aiden demanded in a barely restrained growl, ignoring the reproving look Natalie gave him as he did so, and Lydia moaned, seeming to shake her head.

“I had the feeling, it was like it was just before Allison died…I couldn’t let it happen, I could feel it building, I couldn’t face it again.” She whimpered, and Stiles looked at her in incredulous annoyance, his face contorting with anger.

“Yeah, we get that Lydia, but you almost got yourself killed! How do you think we would have felt then? Knowing that you’d gotten yourself killed and that we were just too late to help you? How do you know it wasn’t your own impending death you were feeling?” he snapped, Peter’s eyes watching him in a calculating way, not that anyone noticed but had they done so, the look he was now giving Stiles would have given them the shivers.

“Simple, it doesn’t work like that. Banshees can predict death, however, they are totally unable to prevent their own. People close to them, certainly, but they are unable to predict their own death. As such it could very well have been her mother’s impending death that she was sensing, however while it was, that does not justify her actions in foolishly, blindly running off and trying to get herself killed without any form of training or back up at all!” Martagh raged, and Scott snarled, eyes glowing blood red as he glared at the Scuffock in the corner.

“She was trying to protect her mother, which, while stupid, we can all sympathise with. What I can’t sympathise with is you sitting in the corner doing nothing while we dealt with the Pombero, what the hell were you playing at?” he snapped in rage, and Martagh stepped out of the corner, her face the picture of fury.

“I am here to train you, to train her, the girl refused to listen to me and this is the result. Besides, I wished to see how much you had advanced and you weren’t entirely awful. But you need to develop your killer instinct child, otherwise your enemies will continue to return!” she urged, and Derek scoffed.

“Yeah but around here even the ones you kill have a habit of coming back as well.” He pointed out, only to be silenced by a glare.

“I’m not going to become a killer!” Scott insisted, and Martagh narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

“Then you are doomed to forever be plagued by enemies, you must learn to take a life, doing so does not make you a monster, it makes you better as by killing your foes you would be protecting others!” she raged, and Scott’s eyes glowed crimson, his fangs growing in anger.

“I will never take a life, no matter how much they deserve it! Killing isn’t the answer, it makes us as bad as they are!” he stormed, and Martagh scoffed in disgust.

“Then you have learned nothing boy, and you doom yourself to repeating your mistakes. Do as you will, I don’t care, kill, don’t kill, but I won’t be dictated to by your conscience, which appears overqualified for the job if you ask me.” She sniffed, and Scott growled threateningly.

“I won’t let you kill anyone while you’re here.” He ground out, and Martagh’s eyes bulged with rage.

“I will not be dictated to by the likes of you boy!” she declared, and Scott snarled back in anger while the rest of the pack looked on worriedly, as Scott advanced towards her.

“I don’t care, you’re not killing anyone while you’re here, or otherwise, you can pack up and leave right now!” he growled, and the pack was silent, Natalie staring transfixed as heat and power radiated from the Alpha, and Martagh looked at him hatefully.

“How like your kind you are, your kind may lord it over mine, but I will never bow to a wolf! I am emancipated, I am not, and never will be, a slave of yours!” she spat, and to her surprise, Scott’s eyes faded back to brown as he looked at her quizzically.

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about?” he asked in shock, and Martagh gaped at him a little, as though she thought he was being obtuse on purpose, their argument all but forgotten. But as she looked around the room, all the faces aside from the two Hales and the Druid girl all seemed equally bewildered by her last outburst.

“Well…I’m talking about the nature of our world, the very foundation of how it works, creatures like you on top, ones like me on the bottom…wait, are you telling me that none of you have the slightest idea of how this world actually works?” she demanded, and it was then that Peter, perched at the side of the room, half hidden in shadow, watching Natalie tend to Lydia hungrily, chimed in.

“Ah but remember, Beacon Hills was always its own little principality, it was largely left alone, it was virtually independent. It’s part of the reason the Druids planted the nemeton here all those years ago, it’s because Beacon Hills is traditionally a neutral territory, independent from the major powers. And this lot, well, it’s not like anyone was really around to explain it all. Well, the good vet is, but we all know what he’s like for keeping his mouth shut.” He purred and while Scott did glare at him, he did have to admit he had a point.

Martagh looked at them all as though they were crazy, taking a few steps back in shock.

“You mean to tell me that as a whole, this pack, knows nothing about the way our world works?” she demanded weakly, and Malia gave her an unimpressed look.

“Well since you’re here to teach us, why not tell us?” she asked irritably, as Lydia propped herself up a little to try and hear better only for Natalie, Jackson and Aiden to force her back down, ignoring her scowl as they did so.

“I never thought I’d meet such a large pack who had no clue about our world…very well, I shall tell you.” She said, apparently forgetting her little spat with Scott as she sat down in a chair, and despite themselves, the pack all turned to look at her, perhaps it was the novelty of someone actually going to tell them something for a change or perhaps because they were genuinely interested but they were all looking at her attentively. Smiling to herself, figuring she would be the envy of their teachers at the moment, she began her tale.

“Millennia ago, our world, the supernatural world, was divided into three main forces. One force was for the shapeshifters, so creatures like yourselves, werewolves and their ilk. The second was for the Druids, and the other Celtic like creatures, the ones mostly human as opposed to werecreatures. And the third was for the humans, which in turn would become a byword for the hunters.

The human faction, the faction which in effect controls the hunters, is called the Artemisia. They, like your friends the Argents, are led by a woman, known as the High Huntress. She rules the Artemisia, and below her are the two Huntsmen, who help her coordinate the actions of the hunters across the globe. You see, the role of the Artemisia is one of balance. It prevents either side from becoming too powerful, and also makes sure that the supernatural is not exposed to the wider world. For example, if Beacon Hills wasn’t quite so unique, the actions of Peter, of Kate, of Deucalion, would undoubtedly have brought a squad of hunters here in order to put down the threat, cover up what happened and restore the secrecy of our world. They cover the globe, and I believe they are headquartered in Greece, but obviously the leadership isn’t particularly popular with their more supernaturally charged counterparts from the other factions, so they tend to keep to themselves.” She explained, and Isaac looked at her curiously.

“So are the Argents part of this Artemisia?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“I don’t know. You see, it works like a members club, they pay their dues, but they do not necessarily have to belong to the Artemisia in order to be a hunter, plenty of them work without Artemisia approval. They do not control all hunters, think of them more as a trade union of sorts for hunters. Either way their job is to act as mediator, between the two other great factions.” She concluded, and the entire pack exchanged sceptical glances, but she continued before anyone could ask her any more questions.

“The main group that you should concern yourselves with is the Beasturo. The Beasturo is the leadership of all werecreatures, and they are responsible for keeping the existence of werecreatures quiet from humans. They are incredibly rich, incredibly powerful, and incredibly strong. All creatures in the world are, in theory, beholden, to them. They are ruled from South America, and are controlled by the Diktat, a council of the most powerful werecreatures in existence. They are a powerful royal court, with lords, lands, legions of soldiers, and above all, there is the king and the queen, who rule with an iron fist. The king is known as the Dragon Wolf, and with the queen and her children making up the royal family, they control all creatures and are not people to be crossed lightly. They have power, money and influence everywhere.

And then finally, there is the Fivefold. While it was created by and for the Druids, it is much more than that. Basically, all creatures that do not fit into the same category as those that belong to the Beasturo, for example, banshees like Lydia, witches, and others all belong to the Fivefold. While creatures, like witches and djinns for example, have their own organisations set apart from the main three, the Fivefold is still the main go to for all creatures that would not be defined as werecreatures. They too are incredibly powerful, and are based in Britain, in a realm inaccessible to most, behind the veil of Stonehenge. They are ruled by a queen, and she and four others make up the five knots of the Fivefold knot that gives them their name.” she explained, and Aiden and Ethan exchanged a look with each other.

“We’ve never really heard about them, I mean Kali always used to warn Deucalion about how the Beasturo would react but other than that we didn’t hear anything about them.” Aiden said, and Martagh nodded.

“I’m not surprised, Deucalion always thought himself better and above the laws of the Beasturo, but his is a story we can return to at a later date. So, these three great powers exist in our world. Now, as Peter said, Beacon Hills is rather unique. As it was always ruled by a strong, well respected Alpha, most recently in the person of Talia Hale, it was allowed to be it’s own independent kingdom. The presence of the nemeton meant both sides respected it, and the long lineage of werewolves protecting the town meant that the Artemisia didn’t bother with the place either. As such, this town is basically an independent, neutral country, sort of like the Switzerland of the supernatural world, though to a greater extent than the Artemisia, who of course have ends of their own to accomplish. That is partly why you haven’t heard of these groups before. Along with that, the destruction of the Hale pack and the withering of the nemeton meant that Beacon Hills, while remaining an independent fiefdom, Beacon Hills faded in importance, and hence the three factions turned their gaze away from the town to focus on other matters.

But now, the great powers are turning their gaze back towards Beacon Hills. The nemeton reactivating, the arrival of the first true Alpha in a millennium, power has returned to Beacon Hills, and now, the factions are going to be fixing their gaze back on this town. And if you are to endure what is undoubtedly to come, you must be made aware of the secret nature of our world.” She explained, looking still slightly shocked that the pack hadn’t heard of all this before.

“So, there’s these three groups running the supernatural world in secret?” Danny asked in interest, and Martagh nodded.

“Well at least our own little isolated part of it, there are other things out there that also exist, other powers, but those three are the main ones that our kind deal with. Now, for my story. Thousands of years ago, there weren’t three groups, there was only the one. Back then of course, it was a time when mythical creatures ran the joint, they didn’t have to hide back then as they did now. And by and large, the creatures were well behaved, they helped protect the world, hunted down beasts and monsters, destroyed the Primordials, drove the Ancient Ones to extinction, helped protect humanity and the rest of the world. That all changed with the coming of the werewolves. When Lycaon did what he did, the priestesses of Artemis were furious, they saw his actions as abhorrent, but they were further incensed when he was cursed into becoming the first werewolf. Seeing the potential for such creatures to go off the rails, the Artemisia was created, in order to make sure that werewolves did not hunt humanity too much. While the powers weren’t particularly happy they saw the reason behind the decision and agreed, and things remained much as they were, though a little tense as you can imagine.

The werewolves aren’t to blame for all this, but a lot of it comes back to their origin. You see, when the first packs started to be created, the hierarchy was rather dubious. There was the Alpha obviously but other than that, no one really knew what was happening. It was then that the Druids came to them, and offered their services to help guide the packs, liaising with both the Beasturo and the Artemisia, helping clean up the messes the wolves made, advising them on their actions, helping the Alphas build their pack and their support base, and when that was done they would move on to help other packs. With their help the wolf packs became strong, solid, and quiet, and the ones that didn’t were put down by one of the two powers, and so things continued in this vein for generations.

So the Druids became Missionaries and Emissaries to the packs, and so the packs started to encounter other creatures of Druidic origin, such as Banshees. More and more creatures began to appear, all Druidic ones, and so the Fivefold was created to look after their interests, making the supernatural world a triumvirate of powers. And that was when things started to deteriorate. The Druids were only ever meant to advise and guide their shapeshifter counterparts, which was all very well and good. However, it all started when one pack’s Emissary wished to move on, he didn’t agree with the direction the pack was taking and felt it best to absent himself. The pack refused to allow him to move on, they were finding their feet, but he didn’t have the patience to deal with their training period, he wanted out. So the Alpha pulled rank, used his power to keep the Emissary where he was. And that was where it truly began. The Emissary was furious and eventually fled, running right to the Fivefold and declared that he was being enslaved against his will.

The Fivefold were of course furious, and upon hearing this, other Emissaries and Missionaries started crawling out of the woodwork, with similar tales of mistreatment, enslavement and abuse. Now bearing in mind this was a very small percentage but the accusations sent the Fivefold into an uproar. The Beasturo and the Artemisia were desperately trying to calm things down but a powerful Druid leader, who rejected the fact that the world seemed to think the Fivefold and its peoples were there to help the wolves, began a campaign, gathering supporters to her cause. She presented herself as a freedom fighter, recruiting disgruntled Druids and other such creatures who shared her frustrations, who were out to end the so called tyranny of the werewolves and their kind, end the dominance of the Beasturo and make the druidic peoples accountable to no one but themselves. In short, they wanted nothing more to do with the shapeshifters or the humans and wanted to go their own way, and she was a powerful woman, very influential and charismatic and easily gather followers. The Fivefold didn’t seem inclined to stop her, and tensions were building, with the Artemisia trying its hardest to defuse the situation as the Beasturo got increasingly impatient with this druid’s accusations and actions, ‘freeing’ druids from their packs when they perceived the druids to be mistreated.

And then it all went to hell.

This druid, Maeve, had built a large group of support around herself. The Fivefold weren’t ready to back her, many believed she was too radical, and the Beasturo and the Artemisia too to be fair, thought of her as little more than a terrorist. And it was then that the leader of the Fivefold at the time died from illness, and so they needed a replacement, and the Fivefold nominated her and she ascended to power. That was when the pack that she had abandoned, refusing to be shackled to them anymore, returned, and demanded that she do her duty to her pack. Strangely, she didn’t want to turn them away, the Alpha, who she cared about a great deal, was having trouble controlling the rebelliousness and divisions among his pack, and she wanted to help him sort it out. But if she helped them, she would lose her position, her power, and all the people who had rallied around her would abandon her. Despite that, she wanted to help her pack and leave the rest to her own devices. And it was then that the prime beta, who had been stoking the rebellion, struck and killed the Alpha.

Maeve was driven mad with rage and grief. And being a powerful druid, she gave in to her base impulses, which I believe you are all familiar with, she became akin to a Darach. And she slaughtered the entire pack.

The Fivefold applauded her actions, she had broken free of her shackles and proven her arguments, and even though she was devastated, and horrified by what she had done, she now had the backing she needed. She became the leader of the Fivefold, and realising the Beasturo would never listen to reason, would never accept any reason for the murder of an entire pack, she prepared for war.

And as predicted, the Beasturo was livid. If only one or two had died, then possibly war could have been avoided, but she had destroyed the entire pack after spending years protesting the druids becoming missionaries and emissaries to the wolf packs and advisers to other shapeshifters. She however had slaughtered an entire pack in what would be seen as the actions of a radical emancipating herself from her shackles. Murder on such a scale, of such a pack…that was an act of war, at least as far as the Beasturo was concerned.

The king had no choice, and had always felt that the druids were second class citizens anyway and that they owed their existence to the packs. The Diktat backed him fully, and war was declared between the Fivefold and the Beasturo, with the Artemisia stuck in the middle desperately trying to negotiate a ceasefire. But by then, both sides were too invested. At first, the Fivefold and its supporters believed the war would be easy won, after all, Queen Maeve had demonstrated just what they were capable of. But they had underestimated the savagery of the Beasturo and its forces as beasts of all sorts rallied behind the Dragon Wolf. And after the war seemed to initially go in their favour, the Fivefold was soon pushed back, the monstrous savagery of the werewolves and their allies, cats, dogs, dragons, snakes, bears, every creature under the sun ripping apart the druidic forces night and day. The Fivefold was essentially fighting an army of Berserkers, and eventually they too were discovered and used to devastating effect.

And so the war continued, with the Fivefold being pushed back, closer and closer to Stonehenge. The Beasturo general, a hideous creature nearly as dangerous as the king himself, then discovered that Stonehenge was their capital, and so the hordes of monsters assembled from across the world rained down upon that field and surrounded the enemy capital. Maeve led her forces bravely, battling them and forcing them back, just a little at a time, but there was still hope. The monsters continued to attack, and the war was all but won, but as long as Stonehenge held, then the Fivefold was not defeated. And it looked as though the beasts wetre failing, they couldn’t keep up their momentum, and either they would need to retreat, however temporarily, which could give the Fivefold the room they needed to manoeuvre, they would need to win which Maeve and her general was making impossible, or they would need to surrender which would mean the Fivefold had won, and Maeve began to feel victory was in her grasp.

And then, at the same time as the Lady Morgana and her knight, Mordred, saw to King Arthur’s death on the field of Camlann, the Dragon Wolf entered the battle. And then, the Fivefold had no chance. The Dragon Wolf slaughtered much of the remaining army, and landed right before an exhausted and demoralised Maeve, and after beating her savagely, forced her to kneel to him, ending the war. Surrender was her only choice, and the Beasturo had won. The Artemisia assumed the role Britain did following World War One, advising that while they should be punished, it shouldn’t be too harsh. But the Dragon Wolf, the Serpent General and the others did not listen, they wanted the druids punished, all of them, their entire species was to pay for their base treachery and their rebellion, for their actions, for the thousands of creatures who were dead because of the false belief in Maeve and her allies, in the misconception that only really affected a tiny percentage of their people.

And so, the king did the thing that he knew would devastate Maeve most. He actually enslaved the druidic peoples. And ever since, for the last two thousand years, the druidic peoples, the druids, the banshees, the scuffocks, all like us, have been enslaved to the whims of our beast masters, to the whims of the shapeshifters, while an undeclared cold war simmers in the background between the two main powers, waiting for that happy time when war will come again, and this time, there will be only one faction to emerge from the crucible of conflict. Maeve’s people were enslaved, forced to do the dirty work of the wolves, to watch and advise, and it was then that the presence of an emissary in the pack became slavery rather than voluntary.”

The entire pack was looking at her in shock. Up until now they had had no idea of what really went on behind the scenes in this world that they now inhabited, but now, they knew all too much. They were part of a world that none of them had really knew had existed before now, and were unwittingly part of a government which advocated and actively practiced slavery, while people that they knew were theoretically enslaved by people like them.

“Wait, so these three groups, which ignored Beacon Hills all the time Talia Hale was the dominant Alpha, all of them are now looking to stick their hands in Beacon Hills? Why?” Aiden asked, and Martagh gave him a grim smile.

“Because of Scott. Scott is the first true Alpha in a millennium. However that is what’s odd. You see, usually a True Alpha is assassinated by the Beasturo as soon as they appear, and if not the Fivefold usually comes in and cleans up anyone that they might have missed. But, the Beasturo hasn’t made a move, they haven’t done anything, they’ve been strangely quiet. And even the Fivefold has done nothing, it’s bizarre, usually they would have acted to, to fix whoever the Beasturo missed. But no, Scott remains unaligned and unencumbered, and it’s making people edgy.” She said significantly, her eyes fixed on Scott.

“Wait, so all three groups are basically looking at him to see what he’s going to do?” Ethan demanded, and Martagh nodded.

“Yes child. The world is changing. A True Alpha allowed by all sides to walk free. The nemeton resurging in power. The True Alpha unaligned… the world is beginning to change. And you are all right at the centre of it.” She told them, and Scott sighed wearily, that was virtually the last thing that they needed.

“Great. Just great, so what, are they all going to be trying to recruit me or something like that?” he asked, rubbing his temples, and Martagh nodded.

“Akin to that yes. You see, the world is in flux. Say what you will about him, there is no denying one thing: the king is old. He’s led the Beasturo for millennia, and now, it appears as if things are coming to a head. He’s old, nothing else, but in the last couple of centuries the Diktat has increased its power, its members dealing more with the affairs of state. Don’t misunderstand, he’s still all powerful and rules with an iron grip, but he is less involved than he used to be, and he does appear to be winding down towards the golden handshake. As a result, factions are forming. The king might still be around for centuries if not longer, but factions are developing in order to ensure the continuation of power. Power is being accumulated throughout the upper echelons of the Beasturo, all patiently waiting for the time when the king should either step down or abdicate. Then there’s events that have been happening, many of them here. The self-exile of Deucalion and his creation of the Alpha pack, the death of Talia Hale and the entire family that long stood guard over neutral territory, the rules beginning to change, all of these point to a nation at the beginnings of a crisis. The lives of the creatures are changing, their existence isn’t set in stone anymore, the rules are no longer set in stone, and that is enough to convince people that things are happening.

And there are things on the other side too. The resurgence of the nemeton here. More outright rebellion about the status quo as druids challenge their role as slaves. And then of course there was the actions of the Darach, taking down the Alpha pack. The Fivefold’s most ardent supporters are seeing it as a sign, that, along with the news that the king is aging, has emboldened them. They think their time has come once again.

And into this bubbling cauldron, comes a young True Alpha. You see Scott, you have the power in you to define the future for millennia to come. Tensions are rising, and the long cold war is beginning to heat up. Both sides will seek you, the True Alpha, for validation. If you should join with the Beasturo, the Fivefold’s enslavement will continue, and the beasts shall remain at the top of the food chain and the status quo will be upheld. However, should you side with the Fivefold, they will take that as a sign that their slavery is coming to an end, and rebellion will commence and the world will be forever changed.

And that is why I am here, other than to train Lydia, to guide you, so that when the time comes, you make the right choice, of your own free will. The future depends on you little one, and that is part of the reason that I am here, to act ad your guide.” She concluded and Scott groaned, rubbing his temples wearily, this was all way too much for him to handle.

“Great…that’s just great. So you were expecting me to treat you like a slave, that’s why you asked my permission to train Lydia when you first arrived?” he asked, and Martagh nodded.

“Correct, but I see now that I was wrong. My apologies. Don’t worry young one, the great leviathans will take a while to turn their gazes this way, you should be safe enough for now. We have time to consider our options don’t you worry. For now though, let us see to my foolish young apprentice and her farfetched actions.” She said in irritation as she turned her gaze back to Lydia, who was now looking a bit perkier than she had now that Natalie had been tending to her wounds.

“I was trying to save my mom.” She said defiantly, and Natalie looked at her in patient exasperation.

“We know honey, but what you did was still stupid and reckless.” She scolded, and Jackson looked at her in annoyance.

“Yeah, especially when all you had to do was wait like five minutes and we’d have been here, but no, you go out on your own.” He complained, making her fix him with a withering glance.

“When the entire town is war zone I might add. What was all that about anyway?” Aiden asked the room at large, and Derek chewed the inside of his lip, looking as though he was about to answer but thinking better of it while Braeden smirked, and Scott kneaded his head in annoyance.

“I’ve no idea but it was clearly about getting to me. Is everyone ok, well, other than Lydia anyway?” he asked, and Malia gave him a reproachful look.

“We are, for the moment, but Scott, the Pombero is still out there. I know you don’t want to kill, and believe it or not, I get it, but she’s a threat to us. Unless you missed tonight, the Ghost Pack is pissed off, and they don’t care who gets in their way because they’re trying to get to us, get to you. Tonight we had a chance to end one of the big bads looking for us, to get rid of the Pombero, to take out one of the things coming after one of your pack, and you didn’t take it!” she exclaimed in frustration, and Scott turned to look at the rest of his pack, and felt the accusatory gazes boring into him.

Stiles was avoiding his gaze, meaning he agreed with Malia but didn’t want to say it. The twins were silent but he could feel their gazes on his back. Jackson was a simmering hotbed of resentment towards him, but he’d expected that since Jackson came back. The others weren’t looking either, but that could have been any number of reasons that was causing that. He looked helplessly at Isaac, begging him to give him something, to look at him, to let him know he had done the right thing. Ever since all this had started, he hadn’t wanted to kill anyone, seeing as every monster who came to town slaughtered someone, and now their own body count was rising, Erica, Boyd, Allison, and if he started to kill, if he became like the monsters they were fighting to stop, what would be the difference between them and the bad guys? But what if Martagh and Malia were right, what if he had to kill in order to protect?

He silently looked at Isaac, taking heart from the fact that Kira at least met his gaze and gave him a partial shrug in response, but it was Isaac he wanted to answer. And then, Isaac did look at him, and while he did shoot him a dirty look, his gaze did soften and despite himself he gave Scott a small half smile.

Feeling bolstered slightly, he turned to look at Malia, who was looking at him with patient exasperation, but other than that she said nothing more about it, so Scott went on, trying to dismiss the dark cloud that was beginning to form above him as he felt the gazes of his pack boring into him.

“Ok…I see what you’re saying,” he admitted, trying to keep the accusation and hurt from his voice as he avoided the looks the pack were giving him, “but it still doesn’t help us figure out exactly what the Ghost Pack is after. But at least we proved we can tackle the Pombero though right?” he asked uncertainly, and strangely it was Danny, looking vaguely apologetic, who burst his bubble on that one.

“Yeah, this time.” He said awkwardly, and Scott felt that one like a kick to the gut, but resolved not to let it bother him.

“That’s true, but I wouldn’t overestimate her, you did prove she can be beaten. But there is the fact that all of you are overlooking, the fact that Scott us totally unable to kill even though doing so could very well save the lives of his friends, after all, if he’d killed Stiles, well, Allison might still be here.” Peter commented quietly from the shadows and the entire room went quiet, Scott’s eyes flashing red and a low chorus of snarls as the entire room turned to face him, and Jackson got to his feet, his eyes flashing blue as he glared at the wolf who had caused all of their lives to go to hell in the first place.

“What are you even doing here, you don’t care about any of us, we all know the only thing you care about is yourself, well, yourself and power.” He said dangerously, prepared to pounce and Peter gave him a smug smile, his eyes alight with malice, and Jackson suddenly realised what he had done, he had given Peter an opening that they had been determined to prevent happening.

“On the contrary Jackson, there is something else I care about as you know full well.” He purred, and Lydia tried to struggle up, only for Natalie to push her back down.

“Hey, down!” Natalie insisted, but Lydia shook her head, glaring at Peter.

“No! Get out, now!” she spat as Danny got to his feet, flanking Jackson as they stood in front of Lydia while Peter looked at them in callous amusement.

“Peter, whatever you’re selling we’re not interested, so get lost.” Scott ordered, his eyes still glowing red, but he had to admit, the way Lydia, Jackson and Danny were acting was beginning to get him interested too, as was the terrified look that Kira was sending towards Lydia.

Natalie looked down at her daughter, at the terrified look on her face and figured that whatever Lydia knew Peter was getting at, it wasn’t good, and as such, she got to her feet, glaring at Peter as she did so.

“Peter, like Scott said, we’re not interested. So leave, now.” She said warningly, and Peter allowed himself a satisfied smirk.

“Well Natalie I’m flattered you remember me, you didn’t seem to when we met in the school.” He purred, and Natalie allowed herself a cold, predatory smile.

“Oh it took me a little while to remember you, but I did. And you’re even more of a scumbag now than you were back then, which is saying a lot if you ask me. Now, you heard the kids. Get the hell out of my house.” She snapped, and Peter chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“Why would I do that without getting what I came for?” he asked, and Derek snarled at him, moving towards his uncle.

“You heard them, get out.” He ordered, and Peter’s eyes then glowed, growling at his nephew.

“And while I’m delighted to see you too my dear nephew, like I said, I have something I want, and this time I won’t be denied. Scott, I wonder how you would feel if you learned that some of your pack had been lying to you?” he asked, and Isaac looked sharply at Scott, as did Stiles, the three of them having a silent conversation as Scott turned his gaze back to Peter.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded, and Peter smirked, his eyes running over Lydia, Jackson, Danny and Kira.

“Well you see my dear little Alpha that some of your pack members know exactly what I’m looking for, and have decided to keep it quiet from you. See, something in this room belongs to me, and this time, Lydia and her little cadre can’t stop me, so either way I win. Either I get what I want, or Lydia and her friends have to come clean and I still get what I want.” He mused, and Martagh looked at him suspiciously.

“Which is what exactly, what are you talking about?” she demanded, and Ethan snarled in frustration.

“He’s talking crap, let’s just kick his ass and chuck him out.” He said impatiently, and Scott looked at Peter sceptically.

“I’m with that, whatever you’re after Peter, you’re not going to get it, now get out.”

“Not without my child.” Peter said in a deadly whisper, and the entire room froze, looking at him as if he had grown an extra head.

Well, virtually the entire room, Jackson, Danny and Kira however had all looked towards a panicked Lydia.

“Martagh, get rid of him, now!” she urged, and the Scuffock looked at her apprentice in confusion, and it was Derek who made the first move before Martagh could even consider her next move.

“Your child? You don’t have a child!” he exclaimed, and Peter’s eyes flashed in anger.

“Yes, my saintly sister would have you believe that, she had me believing that for so long, but see, that’s why I wanted her claws, I wanted to know what she had taken from me, what she had hidden from me! And now, after that little teenage banshee drama queen has kept me from revealing it for so long, now I can finally get what _I_ want! You see beloved nephew, your cousin is actually in this very room, the cousin that your wretched mother never wanted me to know about!” he raged and Lydia tried to move again, but this time it was Scott who looked at her, quelling her movement, her face going white as he did so before he turned his gaze back onto Peter.

“Wait, are you telling me that, one, you have a kid which is far too frightening a possibility to consider, two, one of my pack is your kid, and worst of all, are you telling me that Lydia knew about this and didn’t tell us?” he snarled in annoyance, and Peter allowed himself a gloating smile.

“Well, not in so many words, but yes. You see, seventeen years ago, I had a night with a woman, very nice, one of the better ones, and I’m sure Lydia will attest to my good looks back then,” he gloated, making Lydia shoot daggers at him, “and I happened to meet her in bar. You see she had problems with her boyfriend at the time, they were soon to get married, but he wasn’t the best communicator, and with the stress of the wedding coming up, things were…tense. So seeing she wasn’t in the best of ways, I started talking to her.” He explained, and Derek wrinkled his nose.

“Ew none of us need that image, none of us need to imagine you doing it with anyone!” he exclaimed, to the fervent nods of the others, making Peter smirk.

“Well as I say, we had a night, and when I woke in the morning, she was gone, leaving me a note saying she’d made a terrible mistake and that she didn’t want to repeat it, but thanking me for what we had done, so I figured that was it. Then one afternoon, I return home to find the same woman I had slept with talking with dear Talia. Naturally I’m curious, so when the girl leaves, I ask big sister exactly what that was about. And that’s when she slips out and tells me the girl is pregnant. She’s furious, and vows that I will never have the chance to warp that child, _my child_ , the way I warped her son and everyone else I’ve ever come across. See, this is all stuff I’ve struggled to remember ever since I started getting the inkling that I had a child. And then, your dear banshee over there, realised the truth and kept it from me, but now I know. And now, I’m going to get what’s mine!” he vowed, and Malia arced her eyebrow at him.

“Wait, you had a child, so why would your sister keep it from you?” she asked, and Derek snorted in amusement.

“See, my mother never quite trusted her little brother. She knew he was trouble from the off, and the fact that he was my so called best friend at school, and with everything that happened there, she was determined to keep an eye on him no matter what. Her finding out that he’d gotten some girl knocked up, mom would have flipped her lid.” he said in satisfaction, and Isaac smirked.

“Yeah and considering he’s a manipulative, twisted power hungry murderous maniac, she probably didn’t want him anywhere near the kid either.” He interjected, and Peter glared at him before continuing with his story.

“I have a child, and I know where they are. Talia kept my child from me for whatever reason, but she’s gone. I want what’s mine, and I want my child, which is why I was out and about tonight. You see, odd though it might sound to you, I do have a vested interest in keeping my child alive, unlike certain other parents I could name to people in this room. My child was out, and in danger, and as it is my child, I wasn’t interested in letting anything happen to them. And now Lydia, my sweet little banshee, you can’t stop me!” he gloated, and Lydia struggled but Aiden glared at her, making her desist.

“Get out!” she urged, and Isaac snarled in annoyance.

“Look, whatever you’re building towards, either tell us or piss off, and I agree with Lydia, we don’t care about your phantom child so clear off.” He ordered and Peter chuckled.

“Oh Isaac, I’m not going anywhere until my child knows who they are, and the fact that none of you has stopped me means you want to know who it is too. Can’t you think of someone in your pack, whose father might not be the best at communication, who could be my child? Someone who my dear sister would move hell and earth to try and keep from me as she didn’t trust me?”

“With good reason. But surely if she was trying to keep this kid from you, she would have done everything she could to make sure you never found them?” Scott challenged and Peter smiled.

“Well yes, but see, being the leader of the pack here, she was otherwise concerned and the child began to slip beneath the surface. You see, Talia wouldn’t trust just anyone with the information that I had a secret child, in fact if she trusted anyone else, it would be…” he began, clearly revelling in what he was about to say.

“Deaton…” Ethan snarled, and Peter flicked his finger at him approvingly.

“Give the boy a cookie. Exactly, dear Doctor Deaton, her emissary, he would be the only other one she would possibly tell. But now, you need to think. Who out of everyone, has a father who might not be so good at communication, whose mother might go to a bar looking for a reprieve, for a shoulder to lean on? Isn’t there someone here, in this room, who is an oddity? Something slightly different than the rest of you? Someone who is a true Hale, and not what they believe they are?” Peter taunted, as Lydia, Jackson, Danny and Kira exchanged panicked looks.

“Ok what the hell is he talking about, and what do you guys know that we don’t?” Scott demanded, and Peter scanned the room with his glowing blue eyes.

“Come on Scott, it’s not that difficult. A brusque father, a genetic abnormality, a child born to two pure humans who happened to have a shapeshifter for a child? Didn’t you ever wonder why someone in here could be a creature when they were born not made? You see, the human gene is a stubborn beast. Usually the wolf gene wins out, but sometimes the human gene is just so stubborn it can dilute the wolf gene, and so, rather than a bouncing baby werewolf you get…” he said, his excitement building, and the penny finally dropped.

A father who wasn’t the best at communicating, a child who stuck out as something against the grain of the town, a genetic abnormality born to two humans…and worst of all Lydia and the others had known about it and had kept it quiet.

Stiles turned to look at Malia, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at her. A werecoyote in a town full of werewolves. Her father, brusque at the best of times, could easily have done something that could have driven her mother into a one night stand with Peter sodding Hale. And a werecoyote somehow born to two pure humans.

“Oh my god.” Stiles breathed as Malia began shaking her head in denial.

“Yes Malia. I am your father!” Peter exclaimed in glorious, savage triumph as the entire pack turned to look at her in shock as her eyes bulged as the full weight of what she had just been told sank in.

 

XX

 

The Pombero limped over to the other side of her hideout, wincing as she did so, draining the voice from her latest victim as she did so. Now that she had joined forces with Agravaine and Kate, both of them had advised her to lay low and recover her strength. Agravaine had even captured this young orderly from the hospital and had gifted him to her in order to rebuild her strength quicker. She had underestimated the power of the pack, a mistake that would not happen again. Next time, she would be ready for them, be it Lydia on her own or her entire pack of friends.

There was a noise, and she twirled to see glowing amber eyes staring into the window. Reaching for her whip, she made to attack the monster, only for him to enter her hideout, sneering as he did so, and the Pombero looked on in shock as she beheld the Owlman.

“You have allied with my mortal enemy.” The Owlman said haughtily, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“And you’re here to kill me for doing that?” she asked, rather unimpressed, though she did flinch when he turned his eyes back onto her.

“I ought to. I know Agravaine of old. He is a treacherous man, and once he has everything he needs from you, he will betray you, and he will shatter your entire life as he does so. He will take everything from you, everything you could possibly desire, and he will destroy it, just to watch it burn.” He spat, and she cocked her eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

“So why come here and tell me that? Agravaine is a means to an end, as is Kate Argent, I will get what I want, and then I will go on my own and leave them to rot.” She sneered, and the Owlman looked at her, decidedly unimpressed.

“Agravaine will never allow that. You are a means to his end, don’t delude yourself into thinking that you are in control. I once did, and it cost me everything. But…I know Agravaine. I can help you, keep an eye on things for you. Advise you. And I assure that when Agravaine is dealt with…the banshee and whoever else in that pack will be all yours. All I need from you is your help…to end that blight known as the Corrupter, once and for all, before my end.” He snarled, and she smiled as she lowered herself into a chair.

“Keep talking.” She ordered, and the Owlman’s eyes bulged in victory as he laid out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this took, between all the overtime, finishing Arkham Knight and then getting a cold on top of it, it took a lot longer than it should have, but here is the final part of epusode five
> 
> Now you can see the true nature of the world that the pack finds itself in, and Peter is of course up to no good as always, how is the pack going to react to this revelation?
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved!


	27. Episode 6: Alliance Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a fallout from Peter's revelation, Stiles begins pulling away from his loved ones, and Agravaine sends an ultimatum

Two-Pack II

 

The room was silent, and there were more than a few open mouths as the entire pack stared at Malia as though they were seeing her for the first time. In fact, in some ways, they technically were.

“Search your feelings, you know it to be true.” Peter goaded, and Isaac snarled at him.

“One more Star Wars reference out of you, and I’m going to put one of my daggers between your eyes…which would do us all a favour.” He mused, and while Peter sent him a superior smile he did indeed go quiet.

“He, he’s your father?” Derek repeated weakly, beholding his cousin for the first time, but Malia shook her head defiantly.

“No! I have a dad, and it isn’t him!” she protested, and Martagh frowned worriedly.

“Yes child, that may be, but a dad and a father are two different things. He’s right, a coyote cannot be born to two humans, it’s impossible. The only way to explain you little one, as a coyote in a family of humans, I’m afraid it does point to your mother’s infidelity. However, take solace in one thing, your mother was wonderfully, blissfully human. Her choice in one night stand notwithstanding,” she said in distaste, sending an unsavoury look at Peter, who did look mildly affronted, “your mother was so human, that she diluted the wolf inside you and made you what you are.” She said kindly, and Malia shook her head, her heart beating faster as she denied it.

“No, he isn’t my dad, he isn’t my father, he isn’t anything! I don’t want anything to do to him, and if he is, then that means that…my mom died, my sister died because of him, because of what I got from him!” she screamed, and Peter sighed.

“What is it with teenagers seeing their nature as a problem, has he gotten you so neutered you can’t see how unique you are? Malia, you are my daughter, a Hale, not some human waif. You are like me.” He intoned, his eyes glowing blue, and Malia glared at him through tear filled eyes.

“I don’t want to be anything like you.” She ground out, and Peter, for the first time, did falter a little, with some genuine hurt flickering across his face.

“Malia, I am your father. You can’t deny that, and deep down, you know it, you know I’m telling the truth.” He told her, and she looked at him in disbelief.

“Yeah, maybe you are, but that didn’t mean I had to know it! Don’t you think I’ve got enough guilt of what I did? I turned into a monster and killed my mom and sister! And what’s more, I destroyed my dad’s family, I ripped them apart, and I’m not even his real daughter! I didn’t want to know that, I didn’t need to know it, but you, you, for whatever reason, had to tell me! Why couldn’t you leave me alone?” she stormed, and Peter laid a hand on her shoulder, which while she did recoil slightly from, she didn’t throw it off.

“Because you deserved to know. I will never lie to you Malia,” he promised, ignoring Derek’s disbelieving snort, “whatever you want, or need, I’ll give you.” He told her, and she looked up at him with tear stricken eyes, before glaring at him venomously.

“I want you, out.” She ground out in a rising voice, and Peter nodded dolefully, lowering his hand from her shoulder while scrutinising her, a look the very likes of which was bound to freak you out.

“Ok, I’ll respect your wishes. But when you’ve calmed down, come and see me, we have a lot to talk about.” He said, heading towards the door, but stopping short, his hungry eyes fixed on his so called daughter.

“I don’t want anything to do with you. Get out.” Malia ordered in a strong voice, and Peter smirked.

“You say that now, but Malia, you’re my daughter. Eventually you’ll want to talk to me, and don’t worry, I can wait. I’ve waited this long while your friends tried to keep you from me, I can wait a bit longer.” He goaded, and Scott growled, his eyes glowing red as he turned his gaze onto Peter.

“She said she didn’t want anything to do with you. Now get out.” He ordered, his Alpha power starting to glimmer through, and Peter growled in defiance, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the Alpha.

“I don’t need to obey you Scott. Not only are you insufferably noble and righteous, you also aren’t my Alpha, remember? I’m an Omega, as letting me into your pack would spoil your squeaky clean image, wouldn’t it?” he challenged, and Scott gave him a humourless smile in response.

“I let Derek, the twins and Jackson in. Reformed murderers are all well and good, but you? You’re nothing more than a monster. Now, get out.” He ordered, turning his back, and Peter’s eyes glowed blue as he roared, drawing back his claws to rip into Scott’s back.

“Scott!” Malia shrieked, but without even turning, Scott caught hold of his wrist, and jolted it, the bones cracking as he did so, Peter dropping to his knees in pain as he did so, and only then did Scott deign to turn and look down on him in contempt, as Peter, on his knees, struggling and gnashing his teeth in pain, looked up at him in spiteful anger.

“Like I said…get out.” He reiterated, his eyes glowing red, releasing Peter’s wrist as the entire pack watched with bated breath, Kira and Isaac fidgeting a little as they did so.

Peter snarled in impotent rage, massaging his wrist as he got to his feet, trying to ignore the smug looks on the faces of Jackson, Derek and Stiles as he did so, glowering at Scott as he did so.

“You aren’t my Alpha!” he spat, as Scott turned away again, but this time he turned back in a split second, eyes glowing red as he did so, and then he let out a savage roar.

Peter let out a piteous moan as the noise assaulted him, forcing him to his knees once again, as the entire house shook from the roar, the pack’s eyes glowing as it echoed throughout them as Scott advanced on Peter, who was writhing in impotence on the floor.

“Really? Then why you on the floor?” he asked mockingly, and after giving Scott a last, hateful look, Peter gave a final snarl and left, slamming the door as he did so, leaving Scott breathing heavily in the centre of the room while the entire pack looked at him in awe, and Martagh beheld him with a new respect, inclining her head to him as he passed.

“Whoa…you turned on?” Kira muttered, and Isaac was still a bit giddy from Scott’s exertion of power, he didn’t even find her question odd.

“Um yeah…” he muttered as he fidgeted, shaking his head as he was still a bit punch drunk.

“Good, glad it’s not just me then.” She said cheerfully, though as she looked around, there was a fair bit of fidgeting, which pleased her greatly.

But then, Scott’s rage filled gaze was then turned onto Lydia, who let out a small squeak of terror as he looked at her, and Natalie moved a little closer as though to try and spare her the Alpha’s wrath.

“So let me get this straight…you found out that Malia was actually Peter’s daughter, knowing full well who and what he is, and that if he even got an inkling, he’d use it to cause as much trouble as possible…and you kept that information to yourself? What the hell were you thinking?” he raged, the room shaking a little as his Alpha powered temper exploded, and Jackson and Aiden gave warning growls, but a quick glare from Scott’s glowing red eyes quickly subdued them, both of them backing down and retreating in fear as he did so, with a distinct whine coming from Aiden as he backed off.

“That’s an Alpha…” Martagh breathed, impressed by the power he was bringing to bear.

“It’s why he wanted his sister’s claws, to find what she’d taken from him. I found out a few months ago, and I told Allison, and when she died, I thought that was it, until Kira, Jackson, Danny and Kira found out. I’m sorry Scott, I should have told you, I mean, it’s huge, and Malia, I’m so sorry, I should have worked out how to let you know and I wish you hadn’t found out from him, but…” Lydia said, fighting back tears in the back of her throat, as Malia looked at her in disbelief.

“If he’s really my dad, didn’t you think I ought to know? And to have him tell me, after all he’s done, it turns out he’s the reason I am what I am, you should have told me!” she roared, swiping her hand, and sending several ornaments off the sideboard crashing onto the floor as she stormed in fury, her eyes glowing blue as she did so.

“Malia!” Natalie scolded, and her eyes went back to normal before giving her teacher a sheepish look.

“Sorry.” She muttered guiltily, and Martagh allowed herself a small smirk as she waved her staff and fixed everything.

“We should have told you, but Lydia was worried about what would happen to all of us, what would happen to the pack if everyone found out. I mean, she’s Peter’s daughter.” Kira defended, and Malia shot her a hurt look.

“Meaning what exactly?” she demanded, and Kira shrugged her shoulder.

“It doesn’t matter to me, but I don’t know Peter the way the others do, I’m new, like you are. But, well, it might freak some people out.” She pointed out, and Malia looked pleadingly at the room, as though seeking some sort of confirmation that people weren’t suddenly going to turn on her just because she was actually the spawn of the devil.

“But he’s not my dad, even if he is my father, I don’t care, I can’t help that! He’s nothing to do with me, I’m still the same person!” she cried, tears coming into her eyes, and the entire room was quiet, until Isaac, throwing a glare at Stiles who was standing still for some reason, got up and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her to him.

“Hey, it’s ok, calm down. So what, you’re actually Peter’s daughter. All this means is that you get to join the club.” He assured her brightly, and she looked at him in confusion, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Club, what club?” she asked, and Isaac grinned.

“Well, the Crappy Father’s club. We’ve got so many members I’m thinking we should get tshirts made or something. Malia, look at everyone in this room, how many of us actually have a decent dad? Scott’s dad is never here, never helps him out and the only times he does appear he causes all sorts of trouble and drama and leaves everyone hating him just a little bit more. Danny’s dad walked out on him when he came out. Lydia’s dad is so cheap he won’t even pay child support anymore because she’s eighteen soon. Jackson’s dad is a douchebag, which he passed onto his son. We don’t even know if the twins have a dad, let alone what he’s like. And my dad was an abusive bastard. Peter’s your dad, all that means is I have competition for the crappiest father of the year award.” He assured her, and she snorted in amusement, sniffing a little as she did so.

“Thanks Isaac.” She said in relief, and Danny sighed.

“Yeah, we’re hardly going to start hating on you because your dad’s the town’s version of evil incarnate. Like Isaac said, if we hated people because of what their dad’s like, or kicked them out the pack, the pack would consist of Stiles and Kira.” He told her kindly, and she smiled, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, we don’t care that he’s your dad Malia, what bothers me is that Lydia and the others knew and didn’t tell us so we could tell you before he had the chance to stir up trouble. And what he plans to achieve by telling you.” He said worriedly, noting his best friend’s silence, and the distance he was keeping from Malia, his face the picture of shock.

“Scott…” Lydia piped up and he sighed, before turning his brown eyes onto her.

“I know ok, I get it. It’s a pain but there it is. I just don’t like it, how much fun he had telling her. He’s up to something.” He declared, to various nods around the room.

“There’s something even worse you need to consider though dude.” Aiden said brightly to Malia, who looked at him in confusion.

“Like what?” she asked, and he grinned.

“Well Peter might be your dad, which is bad enough. But this means Derek is your cousin. My condolences.” He said with a grin, and Derek shot him a dirty look as Scott sniggered.

“Hey, I’ll have you know, that now I know I’m her cousin, I will be an awesome cousin.” He told them huffily, and for a second the entire room was quiet.

Until they all burst out laughing, Braeden first, even Natalie and Martagh were laughing, making Derek scowl and cross his arms angrily.

“Well screw you guys! Don’t worry Malia, we can stick together.” He told her as the others laughed, trying to ignore them while Malia smiled.

However, fortunately, unnoticed by her, some of the people present in the room didn’t seem quite so keen to accept this new aspect to her character, including her boyfriend, but that was a problem for later.

“Alright, it looks like the Ghost Pack have calmed their farm, whatever tonight was about. And now Violet knows about us too.” Scott said in annoyance, and Derek turned an exasperated gaze onto Scott.

“Another one? Hello, exposure, the more people know, the greater chance someone will come along and dissect us! Too many people know too much as it is, we can’t keep bringing people on, it puts them, and us in even more danger!” he ranted and Scott shot him an annoyed look.

“I know that but its not like we had a choice, she had found Prada, who was apparently fine before he ran off Lydia,” Scott told her, which brightened her expression, “but because she had a dog, the Owlman attacked her, and Liam and Garrett tried to save her, we had to fight the thing off to save her. On the plus side she seemed to accept it better than Mason is.” He said tartly, and Derek pushed his breath through his teeth, and Braeden shrugged.

“Derek, this town is becoming a supernatural hellhole, there isn’t much we can do, and if need be, we bring in one of the powers or something, it’ll be fine, so far it’s the creatures we’re fighting that are causing the biggest exposure risk. But for now, it’s all calmed down, so let’s make the most of it, we can deal with this Violet girl in the morning.” She said, and Scott nodded.

“She’s right. Lydia, do not even think of coming to school, the last thing we need is people asking how you got in this state, stay here, rest and don’t do anything stupid. As for the rest of us, we get to carry on like nothing’s happened, remember, the party line is we don’t know anything about anything. We can try and figure this out later ok, for now, all we need is a rest, let the dust settle.” Scott ordered, and with that, the pack started getting to their feet, Malia looking hesitantly at Stiles who ignored her.

Scott frowned, but figured that this was quite a big bombshell for anyone to process. And for Malia, to find that her entire life outlook had suddenly been changed, it had to be the biggest of all. But either way, the others, particularly Stiles, bared watching. And Peter had taken malicious delight in revealing that he was her father for a reason, and whatever that reason was, it couldn’t be good.

As everyone headed for the door, Scott looked across at Isaac, hating the fact that Isaac was mad at him. He looked at him sadly, only to receive a tired look in return. It had been a long night.

“You coming home with me?” Scott asked hopefully, and Isaac shrugged.

“Yeah if that’s ok.” He said, and turned to leave, bidding Lydia goodbye as he left the house, leaving Scott sighing sadly in his wake.

“What’s going on with you two now?” Lydia asked, once again trying to prop herself up, forcing her mother to force her back down.

“Just a little difference of opinion that’s all. Text me in the morning, let me know how you are.” He ordered wearily before leaving the house without a backwards glance, towards the cold shoulder that was waiting for him.

 

XX

 

The atmosphere in the house was cool this morning. While some of that was undoubtedly due to the fact that Scott and Isaac hadn’t said two words to one another all night (Melissa had found Scott sleeping on the sofa (she had a feeling that that decision was less to do with her son’s gallantry than him not realising that it was his bed in the first place and hence he was not obligated to get out during an argument, but never mind)) and they still hadn’t said anything to one another, and when Camden had asked what was wrong, while Isaac had answered him normally, Scott had made a grunt and ignored him, leaving her in no illusions as to what the boys were arguing about.

However, the real reason the house was cool, in fact, downright cold, was because the electricity company had cut their power, which seemed to be a favourite tactic of theirs in the middle of winter when people were freezing at the best of times. While she was fairly sure she had a case against them, of which she would ask John later, the fact that her house currently had no heating and no electricity was of more immediate concern, particularly when she couldn’t even boil the kettle to make herself a cup of coffee.

It was her own silly fault, she had moved some money around and had forgotten to put it back with her last paycheck, and now, she had no electricity, all the food she had in the fridge could very well spoil, and worst of all, she was freezing and couldn’t do a damn thing about it, and on top of that she had two teenagers and a young man to look after as well. Maybe this house really was just fit for the scrapheap, the bloody place was causing her more problems than it was worth.

“Well how long until you can reconnect it?” Melissa asked, trying valiantly not to sound angry or bitter towards the snooty female at the other end of the phone, whose answer was not what she wanted to hear.

“What do you mean I need to wait till tomorrow, you do realise it’s the height of winter right? It’s freezing cold, I don’t have access to anything that could keep me warm, and everything that I have that depends on electricity I can’t afford to lose either, so help me out a little here!” she snapped, only to receive a snippy reply in response.

“You know what, go to hell!” Melissa yelled down the phone, slamming it down and letting herself seethe silently for a few minutes.

“Melissa?” Camden asked, his breath billowing in front of him as he entered the living room, watching her fume.

“Hi. Sorry about this, I forgot to put money in, and they cut us off, so we can all get used to freezing until I can get someone to fix it.” She snapped, and he sat down at the table beside her, laying a hand on her wrist.

“Calm down ok? It’s not that bad, if need be we can go somewhere else for another night right, a hotel, or one of the boy’s friends? Would that work?” he asked, and she breathed heavily in vexation.

“That isn’t the problem, it’s the fact they cut us off in the middle of winter with no electricity, no warning, and say they can’t fix it till tomorrow, that’s what’s pissing me off.” She fumed in annoyance, and Camden chewed the inside of his gum.

“Well, I can give you the money, I mean, you’re letting me stay here for free, it’s the least I can do…” he began, but she cut him off with a glare, in response to which he quickly went quiet.

“I have the money, that isn’t the issue, it just wasn’t in the right place at the right time, and they’re being power mad dicks about the whole thing and are being deliberately awkward about giving it back. I’ve been in credit with them the better part of three years, winter’s always bad, but one missed payment, they drop you like a hot potato.” She stormed, and he raised his hands to placate her.

“Ok…if you won’t let me pay it, at least let me talk to them ok? Maybe someone else will get through where you can’t? Please let me help, I owe you big time, I mean you took me in, you took in Isaac, let me help.” He insisted, and she sighed in annoyance, relenting.

“Oh alright, but only so I don’t get arrested for causing a scene down the phone. Have you noticed how frosty things are this morning?” she asked, crossing her arms to try and keep herself warm, and Camden nodded, wincing a little and touching his arm before leaning back wearily.

“Yeah, what’s up with the two of them?” he asked worriedly, stroking his few loose strands of styled hair casually, and Melissa shrugged.

“No idea, but whatever it was, it was enough to make Scott sleep on the sofa last night.” She commented, and Camden gave her an odd look.

“Wait, don’t they sleep in…?” he began, and she smiled in amusement.

“In Scott’s bed? Yeah they do, knowing him, it probably didn’t click that he didn’t have to lose the bed in an argument, but maybe he’s just being gallant.” She theorised with a smile.

“What do you reckon’s going on with them?” Camden asked in concern, and she sighed, if only he knew how much supernatural crap her boys were caught up in on a regular basis.

“It’s probably nothing to worry about,” she assured, though she had a sneaking suspicion if anyone did have cause to worry about it, it was him, “they’ll be cuddling back together in no time, if for no other reason than Isaac will get cold without Scott to keep him warm.” She mused, and Camden looked thoughtful.

“Yeah he was always a cold kid. Your phone.” He said, and she looked at him, lost at what he was meaning until she noticed her phone vibrating.

“Oh I see, hang on. Hi mom!” she said brightly, leaving Camden to smirk in amusement as he attempted to phone the electricity company.

“Hello darling, how are things back at the range?” Allegra asked, and Melissa could hear her typing away in the background.

Melissa looked around, deciding not to mention that her power had been cut off, that would only get her mother riled up and anxious and on her back.

“Oh chaos as usual, the dogs mean serious business and things are little tense with the boys.” She reported, and she could hear her mother pause in her typing.

“What’s going on with them?” she asked, and Melissa sighed.

“Well it all comes down to the fact that Isaac’s brother has come back from the dead, properly, not like a revenant. Scott doesn’t trust him, which I can see his point on, and Isaac is pissed because Scott is suspicious of his big brother, which I can also see the point of, someone else being suspicious, he could probably handle, but Scott? That’s a bit different.” She told her, and Allegra hissed through her teeth.

“Oh dear, I can see why they might be a bit hacked off with one another. But this Camden, he’s really Isaac’s brother?” she asked, and Melissa nodded, despite her mother being unable to see it.

“Yep, as far as we can tell, but Scott, and probably still Stiles too to be fair, think he’s sketchy, which I can see the point of. Scott’s just trying to protect Isaac from getting hurt, but unfortunately, Isaac isn’t seeing it like that.” She lamented, and Allegra made a popping noise with her teeth.

“So, Isaac’s a little bitter, and on top of that thinks that Scott’s main issue is that he’s jealous?” she asked, and Melissa made a noise of assent.

“That’s the one.” She confirmed, and Allegra sighed.

“Oh dear. I’m sure they’ll be fine. But this Camden lad, what’s he like? Do you trust him?” she asked shrewdly, and Melissa looked through to the kitchen where Camden was now yelling abuse at the operator on the other end of the phone (the calm approach clearly hadn’t worked for him either).

“I don’t know, that’s the thing. That’s why I’m staying out of the boy’s squabble, otherwise I’d,” she began.

“Meddle.” Allegra interjected in amusement, and Melissa could picture the grin on her mother’s face.

“I’m going to ignore that mother. I mean, Scott does have a point, especially after Isaac’s dad was resurrected just to get to him, but if he actually is Isaac’s brother, well, he’s here to stay. And Isaac’s had so little going for him, it’s about time he got a break. But…I don’t know. Camden seems on the level, but I agree with Scott, if he is going to hurt Isaac, even just by getting his hopes up, I’d rather there was less damage control to do. For all we know, he could be bad news, after all, Allison’s doting grandfather turned out to be that season’s big bad, and we’ve got quite enough of those running around as it is.”

“Is that all there is, the fog of suspicion over him, or is there something more?” Allegra asked shrewdly, and Melissa scowled at the phone, she should have known that she would figured that her mother would guess that there was more to the story than she was going to get.

“Smartass. Alright fine. Camden is Isaac’s big brother, and while that’s great for him, and if he is really him and really not out to hurt anyone, then Camden is of legal age.” She admitted in a defeated voice, and her mother made a small soft sound of understanding.

“And as he’s of legal age…he could become Isaac’s official guardian, which means he moves out and in with big brother and leaves you and Scott a lot more depressed than you’re ever going to admit.” She said kindly, realising where she was coming from, and Melissa breathed out a defeated sigh.

“Well yeah. I love Isaac, I love all of them, but I’ve gotten so used to having Isaac here, he’s one of my three kids now, and I don’t want him to leave. And that isn’t just because I’m going to have to deal with Scott moping around for months if he does move out.” She lamented, and Allegra made a noise of understanding.

“I see. So the main problem is, even if Camden is a good guy and isn’t some evil creature bent on apocalyptic destruction or wholesale murder like they all seem to be up there, there’s still the fact that Isaac could move in with him and leave you and Scott behind.” She summed up, and Melissa made a noise of frustration.

“Ugh, what do I do mom?” she asked helplessly, she knew that Camden taking Isaac from her was a long way in the future, but still, the very thought of it was what was getting to her, let Scott worry about whether or not Camden was a good guy or not, she would worry about him taking Isaac from them.

“I don’t know dear. But at the end of the day, Isaac is nearly an adult, so if you ask me, the choice should be up to him where he lives anyway. Besides, if this Camden kid just got back, he’s hardly going to be in any position to support Isaac right away anyway, so if I were you, I would leave it till it actually becomes a real problem.” She advised, and Melissa looked around her freezing house, reflecting that she couldn’t really support Isaac at the moment herself, but that was kind of only temporary.

“And if he does turn out to be a bad guy?” she asked quietly, and she could imagine her mother’s kind smile.

“Then my dear you be ready to pick up the pieces.” She told her warmly, and Melissa smiled a little.

“I know. How’s the translation going?” she asked, hearing her mother typing away.

“I’m doing quite well, but I haven’t gotten to the section on black dogs yet, you’d think the Argents would have a better filing system than what they have, it’s like they just threw it together willy nilly. Besides, I’m having a break at the moment, the skin care stuff we like is on deal on QVC.” She said excitedly, and Melissa rolled her eyes.

“Mother, my son and the other kids I view as mine, your grandson, are in mortal danger, and you’re looking at freaking QVC?” she bellowed, and Allegra continued typing away.

“So you don’t want any then?” she asked pointedly, and Melissa blew out her breath in irritation.

“Two bottles, but that isn’t the point.” She said with dignity, all but visualising the smug, triumphant grin on her mother’s face.

“Of course not dear. Don’t worry dear, I’ve got this. You’ll keep me informed about the boys and the bad guys yes?” she asked sternly, and Melissa nodded.

“Yeah don’t worry mom, I’ll keep you in the loop. And, Camden?” she whispered, and Allegra sighed wearily.

“Darling, you can’t live your entire life in suspicion, you’ll go crazy. In the interest of keeping the peace, until he does something that makes you think otherwise, in your sole estimation, not Scott, or Stiles or anyone else, I’d say trust him, but until we know more, be ready to pick up the pieces in case it does all go pear shaped.” She counselled, and Melissa smiled sadly.

“Thanks mom. Hurry up with the translation though, especially on black dogs, we might need it.” She warned, and Allegra made a noise of assent.

“Trust me, that’s been playing on mind since their jailbreak…which my grandson was uninvolved in, yes?” she asked, her voice firm, and Melissa bit her lip, a trait which had always told her mother she was lying as a child, and was now profoundly glad she couldn’t see her.

“Course, he was just trying to protect the people, that’s when the dogs turned up.” She assured her, and Allegra sniffed haughtily down the phone.

“Good. You do know you’re a lousy liar right? Speak to you later dear.” Allegra said before hanging up, leaving Melissa staring at her phone incredulously.

“How the hell does she know?” she demanded weakly as Camden entered the room, his nostrils flaring in annoyance.

“You know, I can see why you lost your temper with them, especially that silly cow on the other end.” He said in a voice of controlled patience, and she gave him a pitying smile.

“No luck either huh?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“None, but don’t worry, I asked for her supervisor, he’s phoning me back. By the way, there’s a kid here to see you.” He told her, and she looked at him in confusion, wondering just which of the pack had decided to pay her a visit, she couldn’t think of a reason any of them would.

“Really, who?” she asked in confusion, and Camden shrugged.

“I don’t know, all he said was that he had to talk to you, he’s got that prep school look about him.” He said in distaste, and Melissa smiled.

“That would be your old neighbour, it’s Jackson. But what the hell does he want with me?” she asked as she headed through, and Camden looked at her in surprise.

“Wait, that nancy boy out there is actually Jackson?” he asked in disbelief, a very faint little glow of green coming from his arm as he followed her through into the next room.

“Jackson?” Melissa asked as she came into the room, and the young werewolf turned and looked at her, casting half an eye over Camden before turning his full attention back to Melissa.

“Hi, um, I need your help.” He told her, and she looked at him sceptically, taking in Isaac was one thing, but taking in the kid who had unwittingly been one of the big bads, and one that had threatened her and the kids numerous times (all of which had only happened because he didn’t like the fact that Scott was beating him at lacrosse), well that was going to be a little much.

“What is it, is it your arm?” she asked pointedly, sending a look over her shoulder at Camden, praying Jackson would interpret the signal if it was his arm and not drop her in it and give her a load of difficult questions to answer.

Fortunately however, she was spared from having to answer any awkward questions as the phone rang, and Camden looked at it, a predatory look in his eyes.

“Good, it’s the manager, hang on.” Camden said, disappearing into the other room, which at least meant she could talk to Jackson normally.

“Ok Jackson, what do you need my help with?” she asked suspiciously, figuring that whatever he was up to was going to cause trouble for someone somewhere down the line, and he rubbed his arm self-consciously, Melissa’s eyes wrinkling in concern as she watched him do it, she knew Scott and the others were looking into it, but it had to be terrifying for the kid, no matter how much of a dickbag he was, after all, Agravaine had poisoned him and unless they found some way to fix it, it would kill him.

“Well it’s just…look all the others, except you know, Derek,” he muttered, and she decided to gloss over the fact that she was technically aiding and abetting a fugitive in hiding from the law, “well they’re all at school during the day, I’m not, I’m on my own, and with what the Pombero did, going after Lydia’s mom like she did, well, it’d be the sort of thing they’d do, go after me to try and get Scott to do something dumb like trying to come after me. So, could you help me get back into school?” he asked hopefully, and she looked at him in shock.

She had no idea what she had expected, but that certainly wasn’t it. And strangely, she got the impression that he wasn’t trying to look out for himself, she got the feeling he was genuinely trying to look out for Scott, he didn’t want Scott to put himself in danger, as he had before, by trying to protect him. Huh, maybe he had grown up a little.

“You want to go back to school?” she asked, slightly stupefied, and he scowled a little.

“Well no, not really, it’ll just make it harder…for them to get me there in the end, and that way Scott doesn’t do anything dumb.” He pointed out, though the hesitation in his voice made it quite clear that he was thinking about something else that it would be hard to do that was playing on his mind, but nevertheless, she cocked her head at him curiously.

“Wait, I thought you were staying with Danny, can’t his mom do it for you? I mean I get it, and I appreciate you wanting to protect Scott, but why not ask her, or even Lydia’s mother, she knows you better than I do?” she pointed out and Jackson shrugged, looking vaguely put out.

“Well Danny’s mom’s already letting me stay with her, and besides, she isn’t clued in to everything like you are. And considering the state Lydia’s in, and how she and I ended it, I didn’t think it was a good idea to go and ask her for her help, and I’m not exactly the favourite person of the sheriff, and I don’t know Kira’s dad either. And besides, you’re like Scott, you tend to look out for the others and all so…” he mumbled, and she smiled in amusement, her reputation had clearly preceded her.

“Oh alright, I’ll help you. It makes sense, and besides, you can sit on the sidelines and help me keep an eye on the crowds at the first lacrosse game of the season, because if Agravaine has any sense, he’ll try and make a move then, when Scott and half the pack are distracted. Are you ok?” she asked in concern, and he nodded, brightening up a little.

“Yeah, that’s fine, thanks, you know, for helping.” He said, and she looked at him comfortingly.

“We’ll find a way to stop them, and fix you, don’t worry. We always manage in the end, it might not be pretty, but we do always manage.” She assured him, and he smiled a little before Camden, steaming red with rage, burst back into the room.

“Wanker! I’ve never met a bigger wanker in all my life, to hell with it, I’m getting my gun, I’m going to go blow his brains out!” he vowed furiously and Melissa and Jackson were then occupied trying to keep Isaac’s incredibly irate brother from heading down to the electricity company’s office to confront the manager, who clearly hadn’t been as useful as Camden had hoped he would be.

And outside, Matt watched silently and patiently, waiting for the time his final killer would finally meet the justice he so thoroughly deserved.

 

XX

 

Strangely enough, after the vicious attack on Lydia, everything calmed down. The Callavera clan went to ground, with Kate advising them, keeping quiet while they built themselves into a more effective fighting force. The Owlman had mysteriously vanished, plotting in the background as he planned out his revenge. The Pombero had also gone to ground, away to lick her wounds after her defeat at the hands of the pack. The Ghost Pack had seemed to have upped and left, as though waiting for something, which was making the entire pack uneasy, but for now, they seemed to be leaving them alone, and for the first time since Jackson had been delivered to them in a box, the pack was letting its guard down ever so slightly.

Lydia was recovering slowly, but needless to say her injuries had attracted quite a lot of attention upon her return to school, which she had walked into, head held high in defiance, basically daring anyone to ask her what had happened to her, which no one had, though that might have been due to the twins skulking around behind her, having been redirected by Scott to babysit her instead.

Violet however, was now firmly on the chessboard, having been clued in by a rather reluctant Lydia and of course Liam and Garrett, and she was also now caught between Liam and Garrett on one side, while Mason remained firmly on the other, having taken Lydia’s injuries as proof that they should leave the supernatural well enough alone, and as a result he was still no talking to either Liam or to Garrett.

While Isaac and Scott’s relationship had thawed, there was still a little bit of tension there whenever the boys were anywhere near Camden, but fortunately for both of them, neither of them mentioned their argument from the night the dogs had last attacked, but still, things weren’t quite the same as they ought to be between the two boys.

Danny remained apart from Ethan, though their problem had thawed to an extent, and they were now being perfectly friendly with one another, it was just that they weren’t back together, though there had been some leanings towards a reconciliation.

Jackson, with Melissa (and Allegra, who had been recruited for some legal paperwork that Melissa couldn’t do on her own since Jackson wasn’t even in the country legally) helping, he had been temporarily reinstated to school, and was now spending his days with the pack, putting them all under one roof during the day and in theory making them safer. He had also attracted the eye of the new girl, Melody, and the less than subtle glances he was sending her way made it very clear that he liked what he saw too.

Malia however was having a bad time of it. To the utter bewilderment of her father, she had pulled away from him, and was spending as much time as she possibly could out of the house, and every time he tried to talk to her to find out what was wrong, she pulled away all the more. What was more, she was also pulling away from the rest of the pack, which was bad enough in and of itself, but they couldn’t quite shake the feeling that her birth father was watching these developments from somewhere in the wings, eyes alight with malicious triumph as he did so, but for the life of them they still couldn’t figure out exactly what he hoped to gain by telling Malia that he was actually her father. With her entire world view having once again been shattered, Malia was spiralling out of control, however, as he had insisted before, all that had changed to most of the pack was that she could now join the lousy parents club. But there were some in the pack who were less than thrilled to discover the truth. Derek was rather shocked to have learned the truth, though he was perfectly friendly to Malia (well as friendly as he ever got), it was more the thought of his uncle having knocked someone up he was having difficulty with. Ethan was also strangely opposed to her now that they had discovered the truth of her lineage, which was far from fair, and he had been shunning her for no apparent reason at all other than the fact that she was Peter’s daughter, which was causing a little tension between him and the others, including Aiden, who had simply laughed at the thought and had assured Malia that it didn’t matter to him who her father was. But there was still something playing on Malia’s mind, something was niggling at her, the knowledge that she was actually Peter’s daughter and not her father’s, and whatever was going on in her head was driving her from the rest of the pack.

However, there was one other issue that did not help in that regard. And that issue was Stiles, and he, more than any of the others, was pulling away from Malia, much to her hurt bewilderment. As Lydia had suspected, out of all of them, he was reacting to the news of her true parentage the worst, and as a result, it was Malia who was suffering at a time when she needed him most, when he was virtually the only constant in her life, the one thing that hadn’t changed. But now Stiles was pulling away, leaving Malia flailing in the wind without any sort of the emotional support that she needed.

While the rest of the pack was taking a rather dim view on Stiles distancing himself from Malia, Stiles himself was suffering a crisis of confidence. The news that Malia was Peter’s daughter was playing on his mind, certainly. Now when he saw her, he wasn’t seeing is Malia, the wayward girl who had been lost in the forest for years, he was seeing her as Peter’s daughter. The daughter of the man who had officially sent his and Scott’s life into the crapper, the daughter of a mass murderer who above all else wanted power, the daughter of a man which virtually every bad thing in this town could be traced back to. He was having trouble, he admitted it, reconciling the real Malia, who was his Malia just with a bit more added on, to his Malia, who he’d believed was just a werecoyote who’d had a bad transformation before running wild in the forest for eight years.

That however wasn’t the only thing that was playing on his mind. Ever since their encounter with Allison, in which Peter had saved him, he had been plagued by her, by visions of her, and sometimes he was sure that while he thought he was only imagining her presence there, she actually was there, her face cold and impassive as she stared down the one who had gotten her killed. He saw her when he slept, not that he did sleep much, he hadn’t, not since he’d been possessed by the Nogitsune, haunted by visions of his numerous victims, but now, they were filled exclusively with Allison, blood pouring down her chest, her brown eyes cold and lifeless, lifting her pointed finger to him in accusation and silently screaming.

But even when he was awake, he thought he saw her. Sometimes, he knew it was just his mind playing tricks on him, like when he was sitting in class, and he would see her materialise in the classroom, standing there bleeding silently, unheeded by Finstock or his classmates. She would appear in the toilets during breaks, standing behind him in the mirror, her face the picture of hatred. She would also appear outside his classrooms, standing there silently, and the second he would look back, or be about to ask Scott to look, she was gone.

But how much of it was really his imagination? The dreams clearly were, but he was convinced that Allison had been stalking him, and was actually spying on him throughout the school. Several times he had looked across the yard and had seen her, glaring at him from behind the gates before vanishing into thin air. Then there was the omnipresent feeling that he was being watched, or followed, and he knew it was her.

He had been the Nogitsune, he had been the one possessed, the one who had usurped control of the Oni, the one who had gotten one of his best friends killed. And the Nogitsune, while gone, wasn’t gone completely, part of it was still part of him, it was part of who he was now. Allison, however and whyever Agravaine had brought her back, was here for a reason, to kill him, to make sure he didn’t cause any more hurt, to make sure nobody else suffered because of what he was. He was, deep down, still a monster. And the longer he was, the more danger he presented to people around him, the people he loved, Scott, Isaac, his father…Malia.

Perhaps that was part of the reason he had pulled away from Malia, knowing now that she was actually the daughter of Beacon Hill’s very own version of the devil, he was afraid of what could happen. Not afraid of her, she may be rough and unpolished and have the emotional sensitivity of an embittered Rottweiler, but she wasn’t evil, unlike her father. But now, Stiles feared that the two of them, together, him the possession victim of a Nogitsune and her, the daughter of Peter Hale, he had awful visions in his head of the two of them becoming the very thing the pack fought against, becoming the very monsters they had spent so long fighting.

He was a monster, and Allison was here in order to put him down. The dark fox, the trickster spirit, no matter what he did there was no escaping what he was, or what he had done, or escaping the fact that Allison was only dead because of him.

And on top of that, he had seen yet another notice demanding payment for the stay in Eichen House this morning from his dad, their insurance just didn’t stretch to cover a stay of any sort in that facility. Now his dad was also suffering, all down to the possession of the Nogitsune, all because of what he had been forced to become. His dad couldn’t afford the bills that they had to pay, and it all came down to him, just as Allison’s death did, just as all those deaths did.

He was a monster, and it was Allison’s job to put him down, it seemed poetic in some way, the victim avenging herself upon her killer.

And above all else, Stiles was alone. He couldn’t help the pack if he couldn’t help himself, and he was marked for death by one of their own, and he knew that his two best friends, due to how they had felt about Allison, would be unable to help protect him from this threat, simply because of who she was. This was between him, and Allison. The trickster and the hunter.

Because he had to do something, something to try and fix this. There was darkness inside him, and that, combined with his loved ones, would mean for a very bad combination. Add in the guilt on top of that, and there was no telling what could happen.

But he had to do something, and after all he had done, he couldn’t rely on the others to help. He had to act alone.

 

XX

 

“Oh my god…” Natalie gasped as Finstock looked uncharacteristically grave as he surveyed the scene which she and Ken had just entered.

A student had complained that one of the toilets in the girls room seemed to have been locked all day, and that there seemed to be a person inside it who wasn’t responding to any of the calls. The student had told Finstock, who had headed to the toilet, and upon realising there was indeed a person inside it, had forced the door open to discover the cooling body of one of the students, a bottle of pills in her hand, which had actually been proscribed to her mother, leaving the three teachers gazing at the tragic scene.

“Another one…” Ken sighed sadly, closing the door to make sure nobody spotted the three of them in there as Natalie crouched town, looking in vain for a pulse, but the coolness of the skin and the fact that she had been in here for most of the school day told her that it was already a forlorn hope.

“Another suicide, what the hell is it with this town? I better go and get the head, and the cops. Christ, what a shame.” Finstock lamented, shaking his head grimly as he left the room, closing the door behind him as Natalie angrily wiped at her eyes as she got back to her feet and closed the door, hiding the poor girl from view.

“It’s bad enough that there’s so many murders in this town, but now suicides too? Two suicides in the space of a week, and that’s just on school grounds!” she shrieked, slamming her fist into the wall in impotent fury, and Ken laid a hand on her shoulder, his expression dark.

“Actually, three, one of the juniors, his parents called to inform us this morning.” He told her darkly, and she looked at him in dismay.

“Why are these children killing themselves, I mean how much have we missed, we’re meant to protect them, and all we’re doing is watching the bodies pile up like we usually do, we need to do something!” she cried, and Ken nodded.

“We do, but Noshiko is already on to something, she believes that it’s something to do with the nemeton, she thinks something is wrong with it, and that might explain why all this is happening, the suicides, the higher crime rate, the fighting, the tension, all of it.” He explained, and she looked at him in shock.

“Wait, she thinks this is all being caused by this damn tree stump?” she demanded, and he nodded, his expression dark.

“Yes. You see, the kids didn’t realise exactly what they were doing when they gave power back to the nemeton. And now…I’m afraid that it could very well be used to destroy everything they’ve fought so hard for.” He prophesised, as the head arrived with Finstock to inspect the body, as the sound of sirens blared in the distance.

 

XX

 

“It’s been like this for days?” Noshiko asked sharply as she inspected the nemeton with Parrish, Martagh having been alerted and also having appeared, her face clouded as she inspected the tree stump, which had grown considerably since the sacrifice that he had reactivated it, and it was now up to waist height on the three of them.

“Yeah, basically ever since the dogs turned up and set loose all the prisoners.” He replied, and Martagh hissed through her teeth, crouching down and inspecting the tree closely.

The nemeton was larger than before, that much was certain, but rather than the growth which would eventually lead to it becoming a whole new tree again, dark, spiny, evil looking plants were forcing their way through gaps in the bark, while dark webs of ivy and weeds grew around it, darkening the bark and choking the tree itself, while flies buzzed around it, the entire thing giving off a fetid stench.

“Damn him. He’s used his power to corrupt it, that’s why all of this is happening, the waves of dark, twisted energy are rippling out from it, infecting everyone in Beacon Hills, it’s causing the increase in aggression, in despair, it’s why crimes and suicides are up, his power is warping the people it comes into contact with.” She told them, her eyes darkening at the very implication.

“And the most vulnerable are of course affected.” Noshiko concluded, and Parrish looked at her curiously.

“So how come the pack doesn’t seem affected?” he asked, and she smiled grimly.

“Well for want of a better term, magic perk.” She told him and he made a small noise of comprehension as Martagh cast her staff at the nemeton, swearing and wincing as dark energy lashed out of it, making her shake her head in resignation.

“The corruption has taken hold deep, I thought if it was young enough…but no, this will take time, power and patience if we are to deal with it. And until then I’m afraid the corruption, and as a result Agravaine, will just keep getting stronger.” She said grimly, and Parrish bit his lip nervously.

“We better tell Scott that Agravaine gave himself a power boost as soon as he arrived. But what do we do now?” he asked, and Martagh frowned as she considered the nemeton, noting the black tendrils and evil looking weeds and vines which were growing around it.

“Now, we need to find a way to negate his power, because if not…the pack doesn’t stand a chance.” She concluded, watching as another dark, spiny plant pushed its way through a gap in the bark, pulsing in power as it did so while the three of them looked on darkly.

 

XX

 

“So this is where Isaac takes it screaming like a bitch?” Malakai asked as he and Rhyley poked around inside the boy’s room.

“Lovely image.” Rhyley said in distaste, his brother grinning mockingly as he explored the boy’s bathroom.

“So we come in and do nothing, just move things around?” Malakai asked in distaste and Rhyley shook his head.

“No, we leave this.” Rhyley said, producing a discoloured and rotting bone from his back pocket, and Malakai looked at him sceptically.

“And that does what exactly?” he asked petulantly, clearly resenting the fact that Agravaine entrusted his younger brother with the bone but not him.

Rhyley gave his brother a cold, merciless smile.

“It’s letting him know that we aren’t messing around anymore, from now on, we play for keeps. He’s already refused Agravaine once, he won’t get to do it again. This is like the spiral the wolves are so fond of using, it tells him we’re not playing games anymore.” He explained, throwing the gnarled, chewed bone onto the bed, and Malakai grinned smugly.

“About damn time.” Malakai purred in savage pleasure as Rhyley left the bone on the bed, basically warning the pack that play time was over and that they would now be coming for all of them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this took, work has been mad, and ive been doing so much overtime im pooped by the time i get home but hopefully it wont be nearly so lon till the next update
> 
> So please read, kudos and comment and i hope to be back a lot sooner than I was this time!


	28. Episode 6: Alliance Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions build at the lacrosse game, Agravaine makes a bold move, Thane takes action and Camden's secret is revealed

Two-Pack II

 

Excitement was at fever pitch at the school. With all of the craziness that had happened since the Ghost Pack had shown up (though most people didn’t know about that), what with the prison break, the random attacks, the murders, the suicides, the entire town seemed to be a simmering pot that was waiting to blow, and for some reason, the ever increasing anger, anxiety, fear and tension had all started to amalgamate into one topic: the upcoming first game of the lacrosse season.

Any other town, any other place, it wouldn’t matter, but with Beacon Hills and the surrounding towns being as small as they were, the first lacrosse game of the season, even if it was just a high school game, was always due to attract a lot of attention. However, with everything that had happened recently, it had attracted even more, with everyone from the mayor on down trying to get people to focus on the upcoming game and support the school team rather than dwell on all the destruction and death that had plagued the town since Agravaine and company had shown up.

And on top of the tension that was permeating the entire town, there was the tension that was rife throughout the pack as well. After Peter’s little bombshell revealing Malia’s true parentage, the atmosphere hadn’t been the same. While some, like Scott, Isaac and others had taken it in their stride, others, for whatever reason, were being affected by the news that she was actually the spawn of Peter. Ethan had pulled away, looking at her in mistrust, as if expecting her to suddenly come out as a raving psychopath determined to become the Alpha like dear old dad, and nothing that Aiden or Danny said were convincing him otherwise. Jackson, who was now enrolled in the school and safely with the others (well in theory at least) was also avoiding her, though to be fair he was a dick to most people anyway so that wasn’t really a great surprise. Stiles however, was. Ever since he had found out that Malia was actually Peter’s daughter, he had barely said two words to her, and seemed to be actively avoiding her. Malia, flailing and in need of support as her entire world had just changed, was taking a rather dim view of this, as were the others, and as a result the girls had been making sure that she hadn’t done anything stupid or violent as Stiles continued to avoid her.

Scott entered his room after yet another long day, Finstock had been pushing them extra hard in preparation for the upcoming game, thinking that a hard training session would take their minds off the recent murders and suicides, which to be fair might have worked had they not all been involved due to their allegiance to the pack. The only one who seemed more driven for them to win was Liam, as their first game was actually against Davenport, which was the school that had kicked him out, and as such he was determined to prove himself against them, and to Scott.

Sighing, Scott had planned to flop down on his bed while Isaac watched the soap opera he watched with his mother. Their relationship was still a little frosty, to all outside appearances they were fine but he could tell that Isaac was still mad at him because of his distrust of Camden, who was still living with them, and could tell that Scott had a problem with him of some sort, which made Isaac even madder at him, and left Camden wondering just what he had done to offend Scott, and leaving Melissa to keep thinking up increasingly lame excuses to explain it.

However his plan to flop down was ruined by the presence of a bone lying on the bed. Narrowing his eyes, Scott edged closer to it, his eyes scanning the room, and seeing several things out of place, and a feeling of trepidation started to rise inside him.

“Mom!” he called, a sickening feeling rising in his gut.

“What?” she yelled back, sounding rather annoyed.

“Have you been in my room today?” he asked, and she sighed.

“No, I know you and Isaac like your stuff where it is so I leave it. And unlike you, he cleans!” she replied, making Scott scowl, he could imagine Isaac’s smirk in response to that comment.

“Isaac, have you moved anything?” he called, his last desperate hope.

“No, course not, why?” Isaac called back, and Scott cursed under his breath, Camden wouldn’t come in here, besides, he had left before they had this morning, turned out there were a lot of legal obstacles to coming back from the dead.

“Someone’s been in here.” He replied, and a second later, both Melissa and Isaac emerged into the room, Melissa wrinkling her nose as she saw the bone lying on the bed, before she gave her son an annoyed look.

“Alright, everything else I can handle but if you want to start burying bones around the house, you can find a new place to live buster.” She told him sternly, and he shot her a dirty look.

“I didn’t put that there, it was there when it came in, and if neither of you two moved anything in here, it means someone has been in here.” He said with a growl, and Isaac looked at him incredulously.

“But how, your mom’s been putting the alarm system on since the Ghost Pack showed up, how could they get in?” he demanded, and Scott exhaled in annoyance.

“That won’t stop the Gytrashes, they can pass through walls, that’s how they all cornered us in the first place, they’ve been in here.” He snarled, anger coursing through him, and Melissa looked at him in shock.

“Wait, those things can still get in, no matter what I do?” she demanded and Scott nodded darkly.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to go and have a chat with our esteemed emissary and find out what he knows about keeping them out. Isaac, stay here, protect mom, make sure they don’t come back.” He ordered, and the look that passed between them showed Melissa that Scott was trusting his boyfriend with one of the most important things in the world to him before seizing the bone and hurtling down the stairs.

 

XX

 

The door banged open, and Deaton got up wearily, half expecting to find the princess hacked off about something or other, but to his slight surprise, it was actually Scott who was standing before him, and he looked very unhappy indeed.

“Scott, you aren’t working today.” He said, and Scott nodded angrily.

“Yeah I know, I’m here about this.” He told him, throwing the bone to him, and Deaton caught it, examining it, frowning as he did so.

“A rotting bone?” he asked, and Scott nodded, his expression tight.

“That was on my bed when I got in, and since mom’s been setting the supernatural alarm since the Ghost Pack arrived, there’s only one way it could have gotten there, the Gytrashes were in the house!” he hissed, and Deaton looked at him in shock, biting his lip as he did so.

“You think they left this?” he asked sharply, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, I did wonder if it might be Camden, but he hasn’t been home all day as far as we know, wait, I know that expression, what does it mean?” he asked, as Deaton had begun to look hesitant.

“The Gytrashes would be able to circumvent the system, it’s meant to keep out flesh and blood creatures, not spectral ones like they are. Salt is what you need, a barrier of salt, combined with the mountain ash, will keep the two of them out. But Scott…this bone being left here, it’s a message, an ultimatum: it means that Agravaine is going to war. A rotting bone of a defeated enemy is a dog’s version of the revenge spiral that werewolves use, it’s basically saying he’s declaring war.” He informed him, and Scott scowled.

“Course it is. After all, he’s already corrupted the nemeton, he had to be preparing for something.” He said, and Deaton looked at him in surprise.

“Wait, the nemeton has been corrupted?” he asked in disbelief, and Scott nodded.

“Yeah, Parrish found it, it’s like it’s been poisoned, Noshiko and Martagh reckon it’s acting as a power boos for Agravaine.” He told him, and Deaton hissed through his teeth.

“Scott, if he has access to the nemeton, there’s no telling how much more powerful he could become, he could…” he began, and Scott arced an eyebrow at him.

“Attract the attention of the Beasturo?” he asked, and suddenly, the wind was taken from the vet’s sails as he spluttered, looking at Scott in shock.

“How do you know about them?” he asked, and Scott narrowed his eyes.

“Not from you, which you might want to explain. Why didn’t you tell me about them, the Beasturo, the Fivefold, oh and the fact that both sides would want me to be their mascot to justify what they’re doing?” he asked, and Deaton sighed wearily, shaking his head.

“The Scuffock, I should have known. I didn’t tell you about them for a reason Scott, I didn’t want you or the pack learning about all of that, the entire thing, the politics, the scheming, the plotting. Beacon Hills was always its own little principality, I didn’t even think you would need to know about it to be honest. Scott, I was going to tell you how important you were, you are, to both sides, but I was going to wait, you aren’t ready for that yet.” Deaton said earnestly, at least, Scott thought he was being earnest.

“Yeah but don’t you think we ought to have known? I mean with all the problems around here, you’d think one of the groups would turn up and clear up the messes just once wouldn’t you?” he asked in irritation, and Deaton shrugged.

“Well you would, but you see they were still honouring the fact that Derek’s mother kept the peace here for so long, even with the risk of exposure, they saw no need to turn their attention here. But as I’m sure Martagh has told you, that’s now changing. The nemeton, you becoming a True Alpha, the powers are starting to look at Beacon Hills again Scott, and now they’re noticing just how close to exposure our world has become here recently, and trust me, they’re less than impressed. I was trying to keep you from the Scott, to protect you.” He told him, and while Scott suspected that there was more to this, he didn’t press any further, before he looked at Deaton in renewed interest.

“And did you know about Malia?” he asked, and Deaton hesitated, just a fraction, before turning to face him.

“Know what about Malia?” he asked, able to deceive no one, and Scott sighed, looking at him in annoyance.

“Don’t act dumb. Talia did turn to you when she found out Peter got some poor girl knocked up didn’t she?” he asked in exasperation, and Deaton sighed in annoyance before nodding.

“Yes Scott she did. But when her mother died, I assumed Malia had died with her, and it wasn’t until after you brought her back that it dawned on me who she must be.” He told him, and Scott rolled his eyes.

“Well why didn’t you say anything?” he asked, vexed, and Deaton allowed himself a small smile.

“Because if I had you’d have seen her as Peter’s daughter, which is how Stiles is now seeing her I suspect. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about all this Scott, but I was trying to keep you from it, because once you get roped in to all this nonsense, it doesn’t go away that easily.” He warned, and Scott gave him a tired smile.

“I get it. I won’t tell the pack though, they take a dim view on you holding out on us. Thanks doc, see you at the weekend.” He said, heading for the door, and Deaton called to him as he left.

“Good luck with the game.” He said and Scott waved before leaving.

Deaton waited until he heard the door shut before slamming his fist down on the table in anger. He hadn’t wanted Scott or the pack to know anything about the three major powers, and he had wanted it that way for a reason. Uninformed, it would be that much easier to guide Scott into making the right choice, into siding with the Fivefold, after all Scott would never back up slavery, it just wasn’t in his nature. But now Martagh had told him about the Beasturo as well, and about the fact that both sides coveted him to an intense degree, which was probably filling his head with all sorts of information he didn’t need. Deaton sighed, everything was going wrong. He would find out from Scott exactly what Martagh had said, and then go on from there, find out where, if anywhere, his loyalties could be pointing to.

He had been silent for so long, cultivated and advised Scott for so long, that now, now that Scott was on the threshold of entering the wider world, he could not afford any mistakes.

He had waited too long for his plans to be undone now.

Scott would be the instrument of his people’s salvation, and he would make sure of that: no matter what the cost.

 

XX

 

While Agravaine had left his little ultimatum basically declaring war on the pack, after that nothing else happened, which, despite the cloud of fear hanging over them, allowed the pack, the school and indeed the entire town to focus on the upcoming match against Davenport, the first game of the new season.

“You look nervous.” Scott said, and Kira looked at him in slight irritation.

“I’m not worried about the game if that’s what you’re thinking.” She said, and Danny patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve beat Davenport loads of times before in the last few seasons.” He assured her, and she hissed her breath through her teeth.

“It isn’t the game that worries me, it’s how embarrassing my dad could be during the game that’s got me worried.” She told them, making the boys grin.

Up ahead, Stiles was sitting with Isaac on the table, watching as the bus that was carrying the Davenport team to the match headed into the car park.

“Have you talked with Malia yet?” Isaac asked sharply, he, along with Aiden, considered Stiles ignoring his girlfriend since her entire world had shifted to be near enough criminal, it was clear that she needed him and he was avoiding her like the plague, and Stiles sighed in annoyance.

“Isaac just leave it ok?” he asked tiredly, and Isaac glared at him.

“Stiles, your girlfriend, who you say you’re in love with, has just found out that the resident psycho is her father, and that the man who she thought is her dad actually isn’t! She needs you, and you’re letting her down.” He told him and Stiles groaned.

“It’s not that simple Isaac.” He told him, getting off the table and leaving Isaac glaring at his retreating back in annoyance.

“Than what the hell is it about you asswipe?” he muttered under his breath as Davenport’s team began to get off the bus.

“Stay away from them.” Garrett intoned as Liam and he left the school building, Liam’s eyes drawn automatically to the emptying bus, and he could see that Liam was already tensing up upon seeing his old team mates.

“Brett’s there.” Liam grunted, as if that explained everything, and Garrett sighed, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I know he is, and so is his dad, so stay away.” He ordered, and Liam scowled as he stormed off, towards where Malia and Lydia were sitting, Malia still looking vaguely put out by her enforced separation from Stiles.

“What’s up with you?” Danny asked as they joined Scott at the table where Isaac was sitting, scowling, and Isaac pointed towards Stiles in the distance, who was now talking to Ethan, who was also suddenly on the anti-Malia train.

“That jerkoff over there. Christ, he’s a big dude.” He said in shock, his gaze distracted by the tank that had just left the bus.

“He’ll come round don’t worry. It’s Malia I feel sorry for.” Scott lamented, his eyes travelling to the girl’s table, assuring himself that Liam was there and out of harm’s way.

The Davenport team were now all of the bus, and were walking through the grounds, headed inside towards their changing rooms so they could get a last bit of practice in before the match actually started.

It was then that three members, fortunately not the massive tank who had shocked Isaac, held back, their coach giving them a small smirk and a slight nod as he passed, following the rest of his team inside, and Stiles and Scott locked eyes across the ground, sensing trouble brewing, and Lydia (now mostly healed from the Pombero’s beating) and Malia tensing as the three boys approached the table where they were sitting with Liam and Garrett.

“Look who it is boys, it’s Dunbar the Destructor!” one of them, a well built brunette taunted, as one who looked a little similar, cousins perhaps, scoffed on the other side of the blond who seemed to be their ringleader.

“And he’s sitting with the girls, hot new babysitters you have here Dunbar, I can see why you wanted to get thrown out.” He taunted, and Liam ignored the two of them and looked up at Brett, his eyes clouded, and Brett, the blond ringleader, smirked as Liam looked up at him.

“Hi Brett.” Liam said bravely, the girls tense beside him, and Garrett scanning the grounds hurriedly for Scott, figuring if things went south, he could call Liam off.

“Liam. Having fun with the girls?” Brett asked, leading the girls to give him a disdainful glance.

“How-how are you?” Liam asked hesitantly, and Brett barked with false mirth.

“How am I? That’s what you ask when you cause over five grand of damage to my dad’s car? How I am? How do you think I am dickwad?” Brett sneered, towering over Liam, and Liam got to his feet, Garrett following suit to make sure Liam wouldn’t do anything stupid.

“It’s not like it was your car.” Liam said, glowering, and Brett laughed.

“Oh yeah, you just humiliated me and my dad, yeah thanks to you everyone knows us as the guys who let a little runt with anger management issues beat the crap out of our car. And you didn’t even get punished for it!” he spat, and Liam glared.

“I had to apologise to you and your jackass dad, and I got expelled, what more do you want? But you know…the only thing I’m actually sorry about is that it wasn’t you I beat the crap out of!” Liam raged, and Lydia stood up, as did Malia, while Garrett pulled Liam back.

“Look, don’t you have some training to get to, all you’re doing is asking for trouble, so clear off.” Lydia ordered as the rest of the boys hurried over.

One of Brett’s cronies smirked, reaching a hand out to Lydia.

“It’s all good babe, we’re just talking with an old friend, yow!” he yelped as Malia grabbed his wrist and started to squeeze, grinding the bones together.

“Look ‘babe’ I’m not in a good mood, and harassing Liam, isn’t helping, so why don’t you and the brains trust go away or I will make sure you don’t play tonight at all!” she warned with a feral grin.

Brett sneered at the four of them, and jutted his chin out at Liam, who Garrett was still holding, though he reckoned it was only Lydia being between him and Brett that was preventing him from springing.

“You want a fight Dunbar? You’re welcome any time, I’ll give you a taste of what you did to the car!” he ground out, and Liam tried to surge forward again, Garrett struggling to hold on.

“Yeah, maybe if I beat the living crap out of you your dad would have a reason for kicking me out!” he roared, and Garrett pushed Liam back a little, fixing Brett with a glare.

“You know what you and your dad’s problem is? The fact that Liam’s better at lacrosse than you, and being daddy’s precious little boy, he couldn’t let your feelings get hurt, so he was a dick to Liam. So, why don’t you run along, and we’ll settle this tonight, when we wipe the floor with you and your privileged asshole team!” he yelled, and Liam let out a growl.

“No, let me at him now, I’ll show him, let me go!” he snarled, and now Brett’s two cronies were holding Brett back too, and Garrett and Lydia couldn’t hold Liam much longer.

“Liam!” Scott’s voice cracked like a whip, and Liam turned, anger blazing in his eyes, to face Scott as he and the others arrived.

“Calm down.” Scott intoned, and Liam struggled to get free from his restraints again, and Scott reached out, taking Liam’s face in his hand, his eyes faintly glowing red.

“Calm down.” He repeated again, and Liam dropped his gaze while Scott turned to the Davenport boys.

“Who’s this Liam, your boyfriend?” Brett challenged as his two cronies let go of him, and Scott fixed him with a bemused look.

“No, but I am the team captain, so why not run along, and we’ll settle this later.” Scott snarled, and Brett shot him a disdainful look before beckoning to the other two.

“Come on Jake, Killian.” He ordered and the two sent the pack a disgusted look before heading inside, allowing Scott to turn back to Liam.

“He deserves it, you should have let me get him.” He sneered, and Scott grinned.

“No, because then you’d have been stopped from playing. Like Garrett said, we’ll just wipe the floor with him tonight that’s all. Now, little puppy, how about we go and calm you down and go over our game plan for tonight huh?” he asked, and when Liam looked rebellious, Scott gestured and Aiden, grinning, hoisted Liam up by the back of his jacket.

“Hey let me go!” he protested as the taller wolf walked off with him, Liam kicking as they went but unable to get free.

“Hehe, I don’t even feel bad.” Scott sniggered as the rest of the team headed in after them, and Malia reached out and took Stiles arm.

“Stiles…make sure you win tonight. Because if that arrogant asshole wins, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” She said, but that was it, she didn’t kiss him or anything she just pulled away and walked off with Lydia and Stiles sighed wearily.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He lamented, following the rest of the team.

 

XX

 

The stands were more packed than usual, as such the sheriff had authorised Parrish to bring up two squad cars with extra officers. Not that things should go to hell, but with the way things had been recently, it wouldn’t surprise him if a fight did break out, the tension between the two teams was bad enough (apparently Davenport’s star had earned the ire of the entire Beacon Hills team by pissing off Liam and hence the entire pack). But with the corruption of the nemeton, various supernatural beasties and of course the place just being Beacon Hills which, along with San Francisco and New Orleans, had some of the worst luck in the world in regards to such things, he felt it better to be safe rather than sorry.

Melissa was sitting with Camden and John, though John was keeping half an eye on Parrish and his team off to the side. In the row in front of them was Noshiko, who had let out a small squeak of terror when she had seen Melissa, and Ken, who was taking a large banner marked ‘Go Kira Go’ out from a bag. In the row in front of them, Malia was sitting talking with Melody, as this was her first game and on the front row, Jackson was sitting beside Finstock, resenting the fact that he was stuck on the benches while Greenberg would be out playing.

“Melissa!” a warm voice said, and she turned and smiled as Dr Dunbar and his wife settled into the seats behind her.

“Here to watch Liam’s first game?” she asked, and Liam’s mother allowed herself a worried smile.

“Well, that and make sure there aren’t too many fireworks.” She said, nodding to the Davenport team, as Camden craned his neck to watch the cheerleaders walk onto the field with Natalie at the front, though he gave a small yelp of pain and clutched his arm.

“You alright son?” John asked, and scowling, Camden nodded.

“Yeah, just cramp in my arm.” He said through gritted teeth, hitting his arm to try and fix it.

“I thought Malia was on the cheerleading team?” Melissa asked John, and he nodded, frowning.

“She is, but whatever went down the other night, she’s taking this game off.” He said worriedly, and Noshiko, who had overheard, looked back at the two of them in surprise.

“Didn’t Scott or Stiles tell you what they found out the other night?” she asked, and Melissa narrowed her eyes, her own annoyance of the woman being overcome with her curiosity.

“No why, what happened?” she asked, and noticed Camden trying and failing not to look conspicuous since he was between her and John, and Ken scowled, pointing.

“What else would it be in this town but something to do with him?” he sneered, pointing as a smirking Peter Hale came onto the stands and sat down beside Malia, who’s eyes briefly flashed blue in anger as Peter fixed her with a smile.

“Oh we should have known it would be to do with him, when isn’t it in this town?” John snarled, and Camden looked down at Peter curiously.

“Who is he?” he asked, and Melissa was about to give him a very bare bones run down when someone sat down beside her, and she turned to see a youngish looking man dressed in a black trench coat with curly black hair beside her.

“I don’t know much about lacrosse, I hope you’ll explain what’s happening to me.” He said in a soft, melodic English voice, and with a surge of anger, she knew who this must be.

“You’re him aren’t you? The new big bad in town.” She ground out, and Agravaine turned and gave her a predatory smile.

“Is that what they say?” he asked, smiling and she quickly scanned the crowd, and saw the big and burly form of Thane entering the grounds, complete with the two kids who Scott had proclaimed cheap and nasty knock offs of the twins.

“Ah, I see your boy has kept you informed, the others are around, don’t you worry about that.” Agravaine purred, his gaze flitting to Ciara and Eoghan as they too entered the area, and Bonnie was already in the stands, at the far end where she could keep an eye on Peter for him.

“You know what to do.” Thane growled eagerly, and the kids grinned, edging into the crowd as the two Barghests did the same on the other side of the field.

“So, you’re Agravaine huh?” Melissa asked in distaste, reaching into her handbag and getting a grip on what she was looking for, noticing that John and Kira’s parents were tensing up as well, and Agravaine smiled.

“I am indeed. Ah, there’s poor Jackson, forced to sit on the sidelines. Mind you, probably best in his condition, no telling what might make matters worse, or how long he even has left.” He purred, and she glared at him, and Camden suddenly seemed to notice the atmosphere around him, and he seemed to recoil from Agravaine slightly, though his arm seemed to twitch a little.

“You’re a monster, you’re killing a kid.” She spat, and Agravaine chuckled.

“Your boy could save him my dear, if he is willing to play ball.” He told her, and to her surprise, Noshiko turned and glowered at the new big bad.

“Scott will never join a monster like you.” She told him stoutly, and Melissa couldn’t help but feel a little touched at the certainty in the other woman’s voice.

“Um guys?” Camden asked nervously, not sure he really wanted to know what was going on.

“My poor dear Melissa, despite what your friend here says, he will join me, because if he does not, he will be powerless to prevent what is to come. As will you.” He chided, and she glowered at him, but she then allowed herself a smug smile.

“Scott will destroy you, you arrogant evil bastard.” She told him certainly, and he chuckled.

“You’re a woman of spirit. Ah, I believe we’re starting, let’s see what this lacrosse is all about shall we? Do try and keep me right.” He told her, and she seethed beside him, Camden looking at them with a confused expression, while John reached for his gun and Noshiko tensed in front of them, while Ken got to his feet with his banner in his hands.

“Go Kira! Kira’s my daughter.” He told the people nearest to him proudly as Kira went scarlet after she heard her father’s yell.

“Stiles.” Isaac muttered, and Stiles closed his eyes wearily.

“Isaac, drop it ok?” he asked tiredly, and Isaac glared at him.

“I’m not talking about that, look, the stands, beside Melissa.” He said through gritted teeth and Stiles did so, going white as he did so.

“Wait, is that Agravaine?” Stiles spat, and Isaac nodded, his expression dark.

“Yeah. Wonderful isn’t it? The rest of his pack are here too, sneaking around, I’ve seen the Barghests anyway.” He told him, and Stiles looked to where Scott was crouching in front of Liam, probably warning him to keep control of his temper.

“So what do we do?” he asked, and Isaac hissed through his teeth as he saw Thane.

“We kick Davenport’s ass. Then we can worry about Agravaine.” He said, as the whistle blew to signal that it was time to begin.

“Come on ladies, you can do it!” Finstock encouraged, and Jackson scowled.

“I should be out there.” He complained, his voice surly, and Finstock looked dispiritedly at Greenberg.

“Well he’s your competition, you shouldn’t have left you pansy.” He said, and Jackson shot him a dirty look.

“Isn’t this nice? A dad joining his daughter at a lacrosse game, how very American.” Peter purred, and Malia scowled.

“Yeah well I don’t want you here so clear off.” Malia growled, watching anxiously as the team started to head to the middle of the field to start.

“Come now Malia, it can be a bonding experience.” He said smugly as the referee walked to the centre of the field.

“Are you ok Malia?” Melody asked, not having heard, and the coyote nodded as Peter smirked while Scott glared at Brett as the two of them approached each other.

“So daddy made you captain did he?” Scott challenged, and Brett narrowed his eyes, and Scott could hear him get even angrier as he heard Liam and Garrett snigger.

“I earned it.” He growled, and Scott gave him a cold smile.

“Yeah only after you ran Liam out of school.” He said smugly, and Brett’s eyes flashed.

“Captains shake hands!” the referee called, and Scott extended his hand, which Brett sneered before taking, and the two of them shook very quickly, Scott resisting the urge to crush the other boy’s bones.

“Assume the positions!” the referee ordered, and it was then that Scott spotted Agravaine sitting beside his mother, his eyes flashing, and Isaac crouched down in front of him, his own eyes flashing gold.

“We can’t do anything about it now, if we interrupt the game we’ll be playing right into his hands, and that’s a captive audience up there. We play, we wipe the floor with Jackson the second,” he said, indicating Brett, which made Scott smirk a little, “then we deal with him, ok?” he asked, and Scott growled reluctantly before nodding, heading to the centre of the field, in between Kira, who was scarlet beneath her helmet as her dad was already chanting her name, and Liam, while Isaac went to the side of the field closest to the stands, mirroring Aiden and flanking Mason, who hadn’t said two words to his teammates all day.

“Hey did you notice our guests?” Ethan asked as he sat down beside Jackson, and then observed the white, tensed knuckles.

“Course I did…it feels worse when he’s close, it burns more…” Jackson mumbled, and Ethan squeezed his knee, fixing Jackson with a look.

“We’ll save you, Scott will, he saved Aiden, he can save anyone.” He assured him, as the whistle blew.

The ball flicked into the air, Scott and Brett both going for it as one, and once it was in Scott’s stick, the game was on. Dancing around Brett, he quickly passed to Kira, who blazed up the field like a bat out of hell, and it was then that a chuckling Killian charged towards her, clearly intending to take her down. Kira allowed herself a grin as she let him approach, then directed her shoulder into him and with a wheeze, he crashed to the ground, his stick flying through the air, cheers coming from the cyclones supporters while groans came from the Davenport supporters. Kira smirked and swung, the ball firing through the air, the goalie missing…and the ball went in.

“YES! My daughter scored the first goal of the season, my daughter!” Ken yelled proudly, waving his banner in the stands and Noshiko held her head in her hands while Kira lowered her head while a sniggering Liam patted her on the back.

“Regretting your life choices up till this point?” Melissa asked, leaning forward with a grin like the Cheshire cat, and Noshiko groaned.

“Infinitely.” She replied, making Melissa laugh.

“And that’s one nil to Beacon Hills!” Caleb’s voice boomed over the field, having been brought on as a commentator for the games this season.

Incensed by their mortal enemies scoring the first point, made worse by the fact that the only girl on the team did it, Davenport quickly rallied behind Brett as the ball flew into the air again, and this time, blood was on the cards.

Brett charged forward, making sure to slam Kira out the way, sending her crashing to the ground as he darted up the field, Mason trying and failing to intercept him and he too was knocked to the ground, boos filling the air, and dancing around Greenberg to send the ball zooming into the net, Danny not even having a chance to defend as groans and yells of anger went up at the wanton bloodlust of Brett’s charge.

“One all, and that was some deft but some would say dirty work by Talbot, Davenport’s team captain there.” Caleb said, earning him hisses from the Davenport supporters.

The ball was released again, and this time Liam leapt to catch it, his stick going for the ball, when the huge tank like player from the opposing team, crashed into him mid-flight, leading to cries of protest as Liam flew backwards, crashing down in front of Aiden, who’s eyes flashed blue as Liam coughed weakly as the tank, ignoring the whistle blowing at him for his illegal tackle, blasted up the field. Stiles then moved to block him, the whistles still blowing, but he then shouldered him to the ground too, Stiles landing with a thump, drawing another angry cry from the crowd as he fired the ball, which a smug looking Danny caught.

“And that’s, yes, two penalties to Beacon Hills, take that you cheating scumbag! Oh I mean, wise decision by the referee…” Caleb muttered after a pointed look from Natalie.

Brett flashed a smug smirk at Liam as Aiden and Scott helped him back to his feet, while Kira took the first penalty. While Davenport’s defence tried to intercept her, the ball went over their heads and she scored again, leading Ken to jump up and down like a lunatic, Noshiko and Kira both shaking their heads in shame as he did so.

“Stop underestimating her just because she’s a girl!” Brett’s dad yelled from the sidelines, and his team nodded, Scott growling in anger at their tactics.

“Liam, take the next shot.” He ordered, and Liam did so, taking the ball and running for it, the entire team laughing and taunting him as he charged towards the goal.

To his credit, he didn’t stop, and to their surprise, he hammered through three of them, his ball going right into the net, however in a fit of temper, the large tank like guy swung his stick, catching Liam in the stomach.

Liam doubled over and coughed violently, Scott snarling angrily as Liam staggered back to his own end, and Kira joined everyone in throwing abuse at the culprit who was now being threatened with being benched.

“They’re playing dirty.” She spat, and Isaac gave her a cold smile, looking towards his boyfriend.

“Yeah, but now they’ve pissed off Scott.” He said with satisfaction.

“Wipe them out. All of them.” Scott ordered darkly, and the entire team smirked as the whistle blew again and the game was back on.

The play then became fast and furious. Incensed that Beacon Hills had taken such an early lead, partly due to their own actions, Davenport now rallied behind Brett, who passed to Killian, who shouldered both Kira and Isaac to the ground while avoiding Garrett, before throwing the ball into the net behind Danny, who cursed that he had missed the shot. While the others got their wind back, Brett and Jake blazed up the field, and while Aiden took great pleasure in flattening Brett onto the floor, Jake did slip past both him and Greenberg, and though Danny blocked the shot, it bounced off the edge of his stick and still went in, leading to more condemnations from the Hills supporters.

“Come on Danny!” Jackson and Ethan yelled in unison as Caleb, his expression stormy, reported the score.

“Three all!” he spat angrily as the crowd started to get tenser as they watched the game.

Angry at the dirty tactics going on, Scott caught the next ball and ran right through, taking deliberate pleasure in slamming Brett to the ground, tripping the tank up with his stick and then leaping into the air to score the next goal. As jeers came from the Davenport supporters, and Brett’s dad swore at Scott, his own team whistled in appreciation as they moved back to their own end.

However, incensed that Beacon Hills was putting up such a fight, the match soon devolved into a blood sport. Davenport, using Brett’s strategies and their pet tank, were nearly a match for Beacon Hills. Brett tackled Garrett to the ground, Mason was lucky not to break a bone when the tank slammed into him, Kira was rendered a little punch drunk (to the jeers of her father) and Stiles was knocked for six in their successive runs, however, only one of their goals got in, Danny more than proving his mettle as he expertly deflected their shots.

Scott then rallied his team, determined not to let Brett’s team win, for Liam’s sake as much as their own. Aiden scored a goal by pelting up the field, taking out one of Brett’s cronies in the process. Stiles did a deft bit of defending, passing the ball to Liam who then took great delight in scoring a goal under Brett’s nose. Kira once more proved her mettle, as did Scott, both of them scoring a goal each, putting Beacon Hills squarely in the lead.

By this time the entire match was rife with tension, people were on their feet yelling abuse, cheering on their teams, Ken was cheering on Kira to her mounting embarrassment, and Agravaine and Peter were both watching the match like hawks as the game entered its final few minutes.

“Ok, we need to finish this, then we can deal with Agravaine and company. Danny keep doing what you’re doing, Kira, Liam, run interference. The rest of you, make sure they don’t get through and if they do, make them regret it.” Scott ordered and the team nodded as the ball flew into the air for the final time.

Leaping into the air, Scott collided with Brett midjump, sending Brett sprawling to the ground, and with that he darted up the field, passing the ball to Kira, who danced around the oncoming tank, and flipped the ball to Liam. By this time Brett had recovered, he was running, trying to catch up with his nemesis, but Liam shouldered him away from him as he tried to trip him, and forcing himself forward, he threw the ball, just missing the goalie’s stick and with the ball crashing into the net, the final whistle blew, and the stands erupted.

“Yes, yes Dunbar, that’s how you do it, show those upper class pansies!” Finstock bellowed proudly as the Beacon Hills supporters got to their feet, clapping their hands, Ken jumping up and down proudly proclaiming to all who would listen that Kira was his daughter.

“Well done kiddo.” Scott said proudly, ruffling Liam’s hair as he took off his helmet, as the others all congregated around their star player, patting him on the back or shoulder as Finstock strutted like a peacock and the applause died down.

“You cheated.” Brett spat just inside Liam’s earshot.

While the entirety of the wolves heard him, Kira had hoped that Liam hadn’t, but sadly, he had, and Liam turned to glare at his former teammate, ignoring Garrett’s restraining hand on his shoulder.

“We didn’t cheat, you just can’t stand the fact that you lost, just like last time. What are you going to do this time, get daddy to expel me from this school too?” he spat, and Scott, aware that Agravaine was now getting to his feet and the rest of his pack were circling around the outside of the field, glared at him.

“Ignore him Liam, he’s just sore he lost, now can you get out of here?” Isaac asked as Agravaine’s malicious eyes flashed, and he could see Jackson and Malia tensing, as was Melissa and Noshiko.

“Admit it, you can’t win without your new friends.” Brett taunted, even though his own team were trying to steer him away from theirs, and Garrett and Aiden now had a grip on Liam, who was struggling to get free.

“Oh yeah? How about you, you clearly can’t play without dumb and dumber holding your hand and daddy having your back, who does that make the worse, huh?” Liam taunted, trying to get free so he could jump on Brett.

Brett sneered at him, and then shot him a gloating look.

“Well at least I don’t have a criminal record unlike you!” he spat, and that was it, with a surge of rage driven strength, Liam broke free of his restraints and pounced on Brett, punching him squarely in the face.

“Good shot! I mean, Dunbar what the hell are you doing?” Finstock yelled, running to the altercation, which had now involved Brett’s two cronies, who foolishly tried to hit Stiles.

Stiles calmly caught both their fists in his hands and squeezed, both boys yelping in pain but the match had been struck and now, the team aside, the tension was boiling over as Davenport supporters young and old devolved into mob rule as numerous scuffles and arguments began to break out.

Agravaine then got to his feet, eyes glowing with malicious fire, and he smiled at a grinning Thane.

“I believe that’s our cue!” he roared in triumph.

“Aww crap.” Isaac growled, his knives appearing in his hands as the Barghests and Gytrashes began to approach, and Scott was distracted from the oncoming dog pack by his boyfriend’s actions.

“Seriously, where do you keep them?” he demanded, and Isaac grinned.

“Kira!” Noshiko yelled, and unnoticed by the developing fights, reached up to her husbands banner and pulled something from the top of it, which everyone had taken to be wood, which was actually Kira’s sword, which she threw through the air, her daughter’s eyes glowing as she caught it.

“Danny!” Jackson yelled, jetting towards the kit bag and throwing it towards him, Danny grinning as he removed his bow and arrow, and with the various fights going on around them, no one, thankfully, noticed what was happening as Scott strode to the front of his now fighting team.

With a furious roar, Scott brought his pack to heel as the Barghests tore onto the field, and Scott and Aiden jumped as one, intercepting Eoghan as he made for the Davenport team, leaving Kira and Isaac to deal with Ciara, the female of the two retreating slightly when faced with their blades.

“Get out of here you jackass!” Garrett spat at the Davenport tank, twirling his lacrosse stick and singlehandedly pulling Liam off of a bleeding Brett as the Gytrashes began to transform, and Mason looked at them in terror as he realised that he was about to get caught in the middle of a supernatural showdown.

Parrish beckoned to the other deputies with him, chasing the fighting members away from the field as the screams began as people finally noticed the Gytrashes and the Barghests on the field. Agravaine chuckled whistling and with that, the whists came hulking into view, prompting more screams of terror as John and Ken, joining forces with Natalie and a confused Finstock, tried to evacuate the warring fans.

“Ah, let’s see what my new acquisitions can do.” Agravaine purred as the Berserkers heaved into view, and Noshiko swore as she saw them, and was about to berate Agravaine when he suddenly screamed out in pain as electricity coursed through him, a grinning Melissa watching with savage triumph as she watched him topple down the stairs, her taser in hand.

“Oh I’ve been wanting to try that since Scott gave me it, that was awesome. Shall we?” she asked, and Noshiko grinned, flipping ninja stars into her hands as the two women entered the fray.

On the field, Agravaine’s forces were spilling everywhere, as the whists and revenants arrived to join the battle. Nodding at Isaac, Kira pressed her attack on Ciara, allowing Isaac to detach himself from her and head to intercept Allison as Jackson, eyes widening in fury, saw Matt running towards the stands where Camden was seeing to the evacuation of the last of the spectators with Natalie. Snarling in fury, he watched as Boyd leapt into battle, crashing into Aiden while Erica arrived and engaged Ethan, leaving him on his own. An arrow then zoomed through the air, plunging into Matt’s back and making him scream in rage, Danny grinning from his position at the goals. Jackson prepared himself to pounce when he heard a scream. Turning around, he saw the new girl Melody, beset by a whist which was trying to impale her with its severed spine. Roaring, Jackson leapt up the bleachers, and while he allowed his eyes to go back to normal, he kept his claws out which he plunged into the side of the beast, the monster giving its ghostly scream before he threw it bodily from the bleachers, allowing Stiles, who had produced his gauntlet from somewhere, to stick his sharpened nails into it and pin it where it was. Jackson then extended his hand to Melody, pulling her to her feet, though for someone who had just been threatened by a headless dog, she didn’t look too freaked out.

“Thank you.” She said breathlessly, and he grinned.

“You’re welcome. Get out of here!” he said, ushering her towards Camden, who had pulled his gun out and was firing at several whists that were charging towards them.

Melody did as she was bid, checking Jackson out as she did so, yes, he had potential. Then, looking around at the state of the battle on the playing field, she sighed wearily.

“You see, this is why we should never have given them independence.” She lamented, cursing the fact that the attack had made her break the heel of her shoe (which is why she’d been nearly skewered by the damn whist) as she hobbled to safety.

There was a terrifying screech from up above, and a recovered Agravaine looked up in savage joy as he saw the Owlman descend upon them, his claws ripping into several whists as he made his way towards his nemesis.

“You ok?” Thane asked, having watched him get fried by Melissa, who was now helping John take down a particularly large whist with gusto while Noshiko leapt at another, tackling it to the ground and using a star to sever its spine, dropping it to the ground.

Agravaine sent him a pointed glare, and Thane bowed his head while his master blasted a jet of fire out of his hands towards the Owlman who spiralled into the air.

Lydia tutted in annoyance as she and Malia watched the fight with the four remaining revenants, she had to admit, it was a clever idea. Having attracted his attention, Danny was now going head to head with Matt, and Jackson had been waylaid by a Berserker and was unable to help his friend.

“Go, you’re the one who’s been training, I’ll help your lover boy.” Malia ordered, and shooting her a dirty look, Lydia dashed into battle, trying to ignore the frightened look Natalie sent in her direction from her position at the very edge of the field.

Having been training hard since her beating at the hands of the Pombero, Lydia rushed into battle, gathering her power to her. She opened her mouth, and the resulting scream seemed to affect Matt, knocking him away from Danny and allowing her to close the remaining gap. Danny then kicked Matt square in the jaw, while with a silent scream, Lydia gathered her power and slammed her hand into Matt’s chest, blasting him away from the two of them.

“There’s no denying that’s cool.” Danny said breathlessly, impressed, and she smiled, which quickly turned into a frown as she saw the Pombero rush onto the field.

“Oh you have to be kidding me! Martagh!” she yelled, and she was sure she heard an irritated sigh as Martagh, clad in a dressing gown and shower cap, appeared in a swirl of autumn leaves, staff in hand.

“Never fails, you’re about to get in the bath and some crisis…oh I see someone has recovered from their injuries.” She said snidely, gesturing and her normal clothes returned to her (bar the shower cap, that stayed on for some reason) and she looked at Lydia.

“Ready apprentice?” she asked pointedly, and Lydia, struggling to keep her face straight as she saw her mentor’s pink flowery shower cap, nodded, and the two ran towards the Pombero, who’s eyes flashed in malice as her opponents approached.

The Berserker slammed his hand into Jackson’s gut, making him wheeze and a second one sent him crashing into the stands, but it was then that Malia jumped on top of it, trying to rip off the helmet of the Berserker, which gave an enraged bellow while Jackson spluttered as he tried to get back to his feet. Malia was so busy trying to rip her claws into the helmet that she failed to notice that the Berserker had reached up behind her.

“Malia!” Jackson gasped as he struggled back to his feet, but the brute had grabbed her, crashing her to the ground with a thud.

The Berserker reared up its foot to crush her skull, there was nothing either of her could do, and it was then that with a savage roar, Peter sprang at the beast, his eyes glowing blue, sending it crashing off its feet and allowing his daughter and Jackson to get to their feet.

“Thank you.” Malia said bitterly, and Peter flashed her a superior smile.

“Just doing my fatherly duty darling.” He told her, and Jackson glared at him, his arms blazing with pain as he did so.

“Now you’ve done it, so leave her alone.” He growled, and Malia smiled at him thankfully as the two of them pounced back at the Berserker, Peter smirking behind them.

Eoghan snarled in pain as Scott ripped into his face, forcing the dog into retreat, and it was then that Scott spotted the duel going on between Agravaine and the Owlman, jets of flame filling the air as the two battled on.

Snarling, Scott ran towards them just as another pack of whists emerged onto the battlefield, while the various battles raged throughout the grounds.

“This stick is crap for holding off these guys!” Garrett snarled, bashing a Berserker impotently with his lacrosse stick when another of the brutes leered up behind him.

“Garrett!” Liam cried, tackling the Berserker, though only having the effect of bouncing off his friend’s attacker, knocking him to the floor.

The Berserker turned, its sightless face fixating on the young boy, who, with Garrett trying desperately to hold the brute back, squeaked in terror as the Berserker advanced, raising its bone sword to end his foe.

“No, leave him alone! Scott!” Garrett yelled, determined to save his best friend, but Scott was currently engaged in a threeway fight between Agravaine and the Owlman, and the next closest pack member was Kira, who had a Berserker of her own to deal with.

The Berserker raised its sword, preparing to end Liam’s life when another lacrosse stick hit it on the head, and both Liam and Garrett looked in surprise to see an angry Mason squaring up to the brute.

“Get away from them!” he challenged, a lot braver than he felt, and the Berserker bellowed in annoyance, turning on him instead, when a bullet blasted into its skull plate.

Rearing in pain, the Berserker stumbled away as everyone present on the field looked over to where three figures had emerged from a jeep, and both Scott and Isaac grinned as the leader of the newcomers revealed the two smoking pistols in his hands.

“Argent.” Isaac breathed in ecstasy, as Argent and his hunter allies opened fire, spraying bullets everywhere and thwarting the paths of the whists and Berserkers, the distraction allowing the pack to gain the upper hand, Argent firing bullets from his guns furiously as he the woman and the other hunter advanced onto the field, Argent the definition of fury as he did so.

“Thanks.” Liam breathed as Mason helped him to his feet and he gave him a shy smile.

“You’re welcome. Big dudes them, huh?” he asked, as Garrett clapped him on the back in relief.

“Yeah. So, you with us?” he asked hopefully and Mason sighed, though he did grin wearily.

“Can’t let my two best friends get skewered by a bunch of folk in Halloween costumes can I? I’m sorry for how I was, but it’s beginning to look like I can’t escape it no matter what I do so I might as well accept it right?” he asked, and the three younger kids grinned as the twins brought down Malakai, earning them a pitying whine from Rhyley.

Agravaine snarled in annoyance, the hunters weren’t meant to be here, and one of them was Argent, and somehow, he didn’t think he would appreciate that Agravaine had brought back his daughter for his own ends. However, distracted as he was by Argent’s arrival, he didn’t notice that Scott had gotten in close, and the next he knew, Scott’s claws were being punctured into his side, making the Gwyllgi scream out in pain.

Danny fired another arrow towards a whist, noticing as Malia punched Erica right in the face, making the resurrected wolf fall back with a snarl. The arrival of Argent had thrown the dogs and their minions, and now was the time to press their attack. Martagh, facing off with the Pombero with Lydia, cast a blast of light that caught Bonnie in the chest and sent her through the air with a yelp, while Lydia used her banshee powers to hold off the Pombero, who was looking increasingly worried at the developing skill of her quarry. Isaac darted out of Allison’s way and dug a blade into her leg, making her scream in pain and regretfully he then scissored his leg out, taking hers from under her and dropping her to the floor. The Gytrash brothers had recovered and were trying to overcome the twins, but with Jackson’s help they were forcing them and Boyd back, giving them some much needed leeway while Scott and the Owlman fought on with Agravaine. Ahead, Noshiko and Kira had joined forces and were pushing back against Thane, who was snarling in fury as he lost ground.

However, distracted as he had been, Jackson had lost track of Matt, who had now cornered Camden against the far side of the stands. Matt leapt out of nowhere, his hands grabbing towards his throat, and Camden, still undernourished from his time in captivity, had little chance to push back against his stronger, supernatural assailant, the hands wrapping around his neck as he pushed him backwards, slamming him against the bleachers.

“You killed me!” Matt spat, his eyes bulging in hatred, and Camden struggled against the grip, freeing his neck a little.

“Who are you, I don’t even know you?” Camden gasped, trying to get free.

And it was then that the dormant force inside him awoke, green power surging down his arm. Matt looked at the glowing limb in shock, and a second later, a massive green blast emanated from Camden, blasting Matt screaming away into the darkness while Camden gave a few weak pants and collapsed, the green light fading but still crackling up his arm, ready to strike again should he need protection.

The pack was rallying, Scott and the others pushing against the dogs and their various allies when more bullets echoed through the air, and Agravaine turned in annoyance as the remaining members of the Callavera clan surged onto the field, brandishing their guns.

“The Callaveras? What are those z-listers doing here?” Gareth demanded, shooting at Boyd, who had recovered from his fight with the twins and was now trying to get to Isaac.

“Getting in the way, they’re distracting your pet pack, look, they had the dogs on the ropes and now Agravaine’s gaining back the initiative.” Natasha spat, clicking her heel and a knife emerged from the bottom of her high heel, which she stabbed into a whist.

“I’m more concerned about my daughter being back from the dead and fighting with her ex.” Argent snarled grimly, firing a warning shot at the Callaveras.

The Owlman screeched in irritation, soaring into the air and fleeing from the battle. The Pombero seemed to take his departure as her own cue, as with a final crack of her whip, she knocked Martagh back and cartwheeled away before Lydia could strike again. Agravaine gave an echoing, booming bark that made the heads of the dogs surge with unexpected pain, and Jackson cried out as his arms burned more than usual, and with that the dogs transformed, running off the field, the Berserkers, remaining whists and the revenants in close pursuit as John rallied the deputies and Argent joined with him, the pack snarling and advancing towards the Callaveras, who, under the fairly inspired leadership of their new leader, decided discretion was the better part of valour and also executed a retreat of their own, leaving the field behind and allowing the dust to settle.

“Is everyone alright?” Scott asked as Argent, simmering with rage, approached, and he received nods from the pack, though his mother looked slightly worried.

“Camden got knocked out but he’s come round now, he should be fine, I’ll check him over.” She assured him and Isaac looked at where his brother was sitting looking a bit punch drunk.

And it was then that Scott saw it, clear as day. Green energy suddenly crackled around Camden, flashing up his arm, and he let out a low snarl, he knew there had been something off about Camden since he had shown up. And now, he had green energy coursing over him, which likely meant he was some other fresh hell here to kill him, Isaac and everyone else he cared about. He knew it!

“Welcome home.” Isaac said to Argent as he approached with the two other hunters, and Argent fixed him with a favouring look before he looked around at the pack.

“And it looks like I got here none too soon. So, tell me, what’s been happening around here?” he asked, and Scott put aside his anger at Camden to fill Argent in and catch him up on everything he had missed.

 

XX

 

“Really, Scott? This again?” Isaac demanded irritably an hour later, back in their bedroom, and Isaac was leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom, and Scott growled in frustration.

“Isaac, there was green energy coming out of him, whoever he is, he isn’t your brother! He isn’t telling us everything!” Scott snapped, couldn’t he see it was only his desire to protect his boyfriend that was behind him bringing this up again?

“Green energy? What the hell is he, some sort of environmental monster? Scott, he’s my big brother, I know he is, why are you so determined to make him a bad guy?” Isaac bit out, and Scott yelled in frustration.

“Because you moron he’s lying to you, he isn’t who he says he is, he’s hiding something, or is something, and I want to stop him before it winds up getting you hurt!”

Isaac looked at him angrily, his eyes narrowed.

“Why do you have such a boner for protecting me? Scott, I love you, and yeah, I do kind of like that you look out for me, but remember, I went years without you to protect me, I can look after myself!” he snapped, and Scott took a hold of Isaac’s shoulders, his own anger pulsing through his blood.

“Isaac, he is lying to you, to all of us! There is something inside him, or he is something, and I’m trying to stop it from blowing up in our faces like everything else always does!” he yelled, and Isaac growled and shoved him off.

“Or you’re just so jealous you can’t stand the fact that there’s another guy in my life other than you. Scott, he is my big brother, he isn’t here to kill us!” he insisted, and Scott finally cracked.

“Right, you don’t believe me? Let’s go see shall we?” he demanded, and to Isaac’s surprise he gripped his wrist and dragged him through to Camden’s room, banging the door open and making Camden jump in fright as he turned to see the intruders.

“Scott!” Isaac scolded as Scott let go of his wrist and advanced angrily towards Camden, who looked at Isaac worriedly, Scott seemed quite…unbalanced.

“Scott, what’s up?” he asked nervously, his arm twitching in response to the threat, and Scott growled, though he didn’t reveal himself as a wolf, not just yet anyway.

“You aren’t telling us everything, you’re hiding something. How did you manage to escape earlier huh? How did you escape the Taliban? There’s something you’re not telling us, and I’m damned if I’m letting you screw us over like everyone else does!” he vowed, and he could sense Isaac getting angrier behind him, and knew this had to be resolved quickly or two hormonally charged teenagers were about to have a hell of a fight.

“Scott, calm down ok? You’re right, I haven’t told you guys everything, but there’s a reason!” Camden insisted, and both boys were brought up short, and Scott was kind of glad he couldn’t see Isaac’s sure to be devastated expression as he took a step back in disbelief.

“But…you’re my brother.” Isaac mumbled, and Camden nodded, looking at his brother apologetically.

“Yeah I am, that hasn’t changed, not at all. It’s just there’s something else, and it’s kind of freaky, so I didn’t want to tell you until I could figure out how.” Camden explained, and Scott, who had been quite thrown by Camden’s easy admission, glared at him.

“Why don’t you let us be the judge of that?” he demanded, ready to rip Camden’s throat out if he threatened his little brother, and Camden shrugged, looking at Scott nervously.

“It’s not my choice to make. See…wait, what?” Camden asked in shock, looking away from Scott, and then both of them saw it, the green energy coursing up and down his arm, and Isaac was getting angrier, and Scott, slightly beginning to regret putting this in motion, positioned himself to stop Isaac springing on his brother for his apparent treachery.

“You’re a monster!” Isaac spat, and Camden shook his head desperately.

“No bro, I’m not! Look…can’t you see I’m talking?” he demanded irritably, and Scott and Isaac looked at each other dubiously as he turned away from them and seemed to now be having a one sided conversation with his glowing arm.

“Ok…” Scott muttered, ready to get Isaac out of there, while Camden looked at his arm worriedly.

“But are you strong enough?” Camden asked worriedly, and with a resigned sigh, and he proceeded to pull a knife from his boot and rose it to his wrist.

“NO!” Isaac yelped, as his brother cut a long, thin cut on the underside of his wrist, immediately drawing blood.

And as both boys stood there in shock at his bizarre action, something even more bizarre happened as green smoke began to billow out of the wound, swirling into the air, filling the room as it did so, the green smoke twirling around Camden and spilling onto the floor. A streak of smoke began to swirl, coming to just under Camden’s height and a second later the smoke dispersed and a young woman with darker skin and curly black hair materialised from the smoke smiling hesitantly at Scott and Isaac, whose jaws had dropped in shock.

“Um, hi! I’m Rakaisha…I guess that makes me your sister in law!” she said brightly, and Isaac’s jaw seemed to dislocate in shock, as Camden rolled his eyes as he used a handkerchief to dab his bleeding wrist.

“Not yet you’re not. Isaac, Scott, this is my fiancée, Rakaisha, and I’m guessing you kind of need to know how she got here inside my arm so here goes…she’s a djinn, and she’s the reason I’m standing here today.” He said proudly, and he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately, which she reciprocated eagerly, her hands snaking around him while Scott and Isaac looked on, completely at sea.

 

XX

 

Dark purple smoke billowed into town, materialising in the night air as the man, wrapped in black robes and marked with glowing blue tattoos, his eyes black with malice, solidified into his true self, his hooded shrouded form appearing in Beacon Hills.

Inhaling deeply, he got the hint of the scent he needed. His prey was here.

“Time to hunt.” He purred, and set off into the night like a shadow.

 

XX

 

Agravaine was furious that their attack had been thwarted, despite bringing everything to bear, they still hadn’t broken the resolve of the pack. Scott continued to defy the Corrupter, and that was something the leader of the dogs could not allow. And so Thane would start the process of making the young True Alpha bow to Agravaine, or if that failed, the process of destroying everything he loved.

Transforming into his dog form, his eyes glowed black as they focused on the door to the Stillinski house. Stiles had volunteered to help Argent move things into his apartment (since Scott and Isaac were apparently having issues) and as a result, the only one in the house was the sheriff himself. Growling menacingly, the large hulking black dog paced towards the door, his eyes glinting as he brought his strange power to bear. There was a silent echo, a gust of wintery wind and a distant rumble of thunder as he acted, fate bending to his malevolent will. Satisfied, the dog turned away from the door, transforming back into his human form. Now, Scott would either conform…or the good sheriff would die.

Pleased with his night’s work, Thane vanished into the darkness as fate twisted to his will, warping so that events would continue to add up, twist, in order to kill the sheriff.

And unnoticed by the grim, Deaton watched darkly from his car as he saw what the dog had just done, virtually dooming the sheriff unless Scott did what Agravaine wanted. Pursing his lips, Deaton drove on, his mind awash with possibilities.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness but here is the last part of episode six and we are now officially halfway through the story, only six episodes to go and things are going to start to heat up in Beacon Hills as decisions are made that affect the rest of the season!
> 
> A short midseason is about to happen, but I'll be back in the new year along with 5b so ill see you all then and until then, please read, kudos and comment and i hope it isnt too long till im back!


	29. Episode 7: Grim Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rakaisha explains her predicament, cracks begin to show and Jackson makes a foolish decision

Two-Pack II

 

“Well, got to say, I wasn’t expecting that.” Scott admitted as he and Isaac looked at Camden and Rakaisha in shock, and as the couple split up from their kiss, Camden turned to look at his brother and his boyfriend.

“Huh, is it me or are they taking the news that I’ve had a djinn living in my arm since we left Afghanistan pretty well?” he asked, and Isaac gaped a little, trying to find some way to break the news to him, but he was beat to the mark by his apparent soon to be sister in law.

“Oh honey isn’t is obvious? They’re supernatural too.” She told him airily, and he sent her a chiding look.

“Honey, just because the two of them are together doesn’t mean they’re any different from normal.” He scolded and she rolled her eyes, and both boys grinned.

“That isn’t what I meant. They’re like me, they’re supernatural. They’re werewolves dear.” She told him, and he looked at her in shock, before turning to Scott and Isaac, as if seeking confirmation.

“What? No they’re not, I’ve known Isaac all his life, he’s never turned into a hairy beast at any time.” He protested, his voice rising in slight panic.

Rakaisha cocked her head, her eyes flickering green as she looked at the two boys.

“Hmm, that’ll be because he’s a bitten wolf,” she pondered, approaching the two boys, but it was Scott who drew her gaze, “but this one…ah he’s the Alpha, and Isaac, his prime Beta. But Scott, he’s the True Alpha!” she gasped in realisation and Scott sagged in annoyance.

“Huh, not that nonsense, not you too!” he protested, but Isaac was more interested in Camden’s reaction, as he was looking at the two boys in alarm.

“Werewolves? Alpha? What the heck’s a True Alpha? I’m so confused.” He whined, and Isaac grinned.

“It’s ok bro, don’t panic.” He assured him, and Rakaisha looked at him pityingly.

“Beloved, I told you there was more than just djinns in the world. What did you expect?” she asked, and Camden spluttered, just as Melissa came up the stairs.

“Alright boys, I think it’s time I got some answers, about Agravaine and whatever the hell else is going on in this town. Evening hen,” she said kindly to Rakaisha before turning back to the boys, “and just between you and me, these constant dices with death-jesus!” Melissa exclaimed, finally registering that Rakaisha was in fact someone new as the occupants of the room stared at her in increasing disbelief.

 

XX

 

“So you’re a genie?” Scott asked as the lot of them sat around the kitchen table over a cup of tea, with both Camden and Melissa looking like they were seriously regretting not making their beverages continental with a little dash of something stronger, and Rakaisha pondered her answer.

“As you would understand it yes, but we prefer djinn.” She explained, and Scott looked at her in excitement, and Camden’s eyes widened as he could see where this was going.

“So you’re like the genie in Aladdin!” he exclaimed in excitement, and Camden winced as Rakaisha’s eyes flashed green.

“No. We are an ancient and noble race, are all normal colours (though our dress sense can be a bit garish admittedly), and we most certainly do no go around singing ‘Friend Like Me’.” She hissed, peeved and Isaac sniggered as Scott looked kind of crestfallen by this pronouncement.

In order to wipe the downhearted look off his boyfriend’s face more than anything else, he cocked his head at his soon to be sister in law curiously.

“So how does the wishes part work then? I take it that does work?” he asked, and she nodded, though pondered how she was going to answer the question.

“Alright. In human terms I’m quite old, so your brother is basically marrying a woman about twenty times his age,” she said, and the other three looked at Camden, who to his credit looked completely unbothered, “but in the terms of the djinn, I’m still quite young, I’ve not even at half a millennia yet. As a result, I’m not that powerful. You see, I became bonded to Cam. So, using that stupid Disney movie that so dishonoured my species,” she said, breathing deeply in vexation, “he was technically my Aladdin, my master, but without the pet monkey and wearing undergarments as apparel and thinking that’s acceptable. We don’t have a limit on the number of wishes, not really, but three is the accepted number that we can use. But because I’m so young it takes a lot of energy for me to grant wishes, and to do it the way I did it, by accessing pure power and granting his wish properly, I had to also desire his wish for myself. So that, combined with the fact that there was only selflessness behind his wish, and he made the wish without knowing what I was, meant that I could achieve it properly.” She explained, but the three of them looked totally lost, as did Camden too to be fair, and she rethought her approach.

“Alright, think of it like this. Say Melissa was my master. Now, we may be friends, but there isn’t an intense connection like there is between me and Camden. So say for her first wish, she wishes for a lot of money. I’m not strong enough to just click my fingers and the money appears right in her account, everyone goes home happy. I need to do it a different way. Now as djinns as tricksters and schemers, say Melissa wished for a lot of money. I would, as she was still my master, but not my be all and end all, grant it. But in order for her to get said money, her mom would die, and she would inherit the money from her estate at the end of the process. You see what I mean? Rules govern the granting of wishes. Even if Camden wanted a lot of money, despite my bond with him, I would probably click my fingers and he would receive another big pay out from the army for assuming he was dead or something like that. Being so young, I’m not powerful enough to actually grant your wish the way you would want it granted, I have to make the best of it that I can with my limited power. Ancient djinns, like the ones that make up the Kaf, they can grant wishes like that, which is why they are the Kaf, they remove themselves as pawns so humans can’t find them and have an army of djinns working for them. You made that wish to one of them, the next day you win the lottery, everyone’s happy. I’m not that strong. But that doesn’t mean I can’t grant pure wishes. Camden’s wish to escape, so he could make his way home and find Isaac, that was a pure wish. It wasn’t made out of selfishness, as most human wishes are prone to be, it was selfless. On top of that, I’m in love with Cam, and so because I am, his wishes are that little easier to grant, I can use our love as a power boost. And on top of that, I also wanted him to escape. Even if he escaped without me, because I wanted him to escape so he could be free because I love him, I wanted it, which means I had three different circles of power backing me up. So I granted his wish, and then, we proved that the Taliban are no match for the powers of a soldier and a pissed off djinn.” She said fondly, and he took her hand and kissed it, his eyes never leaving her and Scott could smell the love they had for each other.

The other three looked at each other, and Melissa nodded slowly, and finally admitting defeat, she headed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. She poured five glasses, finishing the bottle with a look of disgust, and was about to throw it away when Rakaisha pointed her finger at the bottle and replenished it, and Melissa’s face broke into a brilliant smile.

“She’s my new best friend!” she exclaimed and hugged the djinn, who laughed.

“So how does one like that work?” Isaac asked, genuinely curious, and she smirked.

“Well, technically I’m not meant to do that, but, well new country, new home, new people, I want to make a good impression. And besides, we’re going to have to catch Cam up on the supernatural, you’ll need to explain about these dogs I’ve been hearing about, and well…we’ll need wine.” She said, and Camden accepted the wine but looked at Rakaisha worriedly.

“Won’t it cause problems?” he asked nervously, and she looked slightly nervous.

“It shouldn’t, but saving you earlier probably tripped some wires.” She admitted, and clinked her glass with Melissa.

“Problems with who? This Kaf that you mentioned?” Scott asked, watching as his delighted mother drank her wine as Isaac clinked glasses with Camden.

Rakaisha looked worried, took a sip of her wine and set the bottle down.

“Yes. The Kaf are the council, there are seven of them, and they are the most powerful djinn in existence. They rule our little slice of the world.” She explained, and Isaac cocked his head.

“So like the Fivefold and the Beasturo?” he asked, and Melissa looked at them, completely lost.

“Who?” she demanded, her voice shrill, and Scott waved her off.

“Later mom.” He replied, and Rakaisha patted Melissa’s arm before nodding.

“Exactly, but we’re more akin to the Fivefold than the Beasturo, they’re the big guns, then the Fivefold, then there’s all sorts of groups like us, governing their own little bits of the supernatural world. You see, the Kaf are divided. While the body as a whole doesn’t support the Taliban, there are enough of them who do. So, because I betrayed the man I was originally bonded to, the leader of the cell who captured Camden in the first place, I exposed the existence of the supernatural even though I left no survivors, and because I killed a prominent member of the Taliban and his entire cell when he and they were favourites of certain members of the Kaf, I earned myself a massive price on my head. There’s seven members of the Kaf, and upsetting any of them is a bad idea, but because of the nature of our species and our primary location and our involvement in all that, even two of them supporting the Taliban is bad enough, but three do, which means the others, while outvoting them, can’t override them. I upset three members of the Kaf, and less because of the Taliban ties than my exposure of our kind and betraying my master, the Marid, he’s the leader of the Kaf, would have had to side with them too. I have a price on my head, and now that I’ve left Camden’s body, whoever they’ve sent after me will be coming for me, to put me down for everything I’ve done.” She said, her voice coloured with fear, and Camden wrapped his hand around hers, nuzzling her cheek a little with his nose.

“He won’t get you.” He vowed quietly and she smiled sadly at him in reply, and Melissa’s eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh now I get it, that’s why you had to go into Camden’s arm, to escape, because if you angered the ones who support the Taliban,” she began, and Rakaisha nodded, finishing her sentence for her.

“If they sensed me leaving the country with the man I betrayed my own master for, who is an American no less, they would have done everything they could to stop me and they would have killed us. So, the assassin they’ve sent after me also couldn’t track me, he might have been watching Cam, but without proof that I was with him, he couldn’t attack. Now, I’m free, and I’ve used my powers, and I used them in a big way to protect Camden from that revenant earlier. I’m sorry Scott, to bring another supernatural problem to your town, and if I’d had my way, I’d have waited until you were down at least one of your multitude of villains before I acted, but saving Camden and exposing myself so you two wouldn’t fall out, well, it’s kind of lit up the fact that I’m alive and here like a Christmas tree.” She lamented, and Scott looked at her, strangely touched.

“Hey, don’t worry, you’re the first creature who’s tried to reduce the amount of problems we’ve got, thanks.” He said, impressed, and she grinned.

“So this assassin, does he just keep coming until you’re dead?” Isaac asked, sounding slightly anxious, he was already liking his future sister in law, and Rakaisha shook her head.

“No. If I should kill him, that’ll be it. I will be exiled from the Kaf, but I will still have all my powers, and theoretically, my exile can end, should one of the members I’ve so pissed off snuff it. If the one who’s favourite I was bound to dies, then in theory I should be invited back regardless of the protests of the other Taliban supporters. But, if I don’t kill him, and I’ve got a vague idea who they’ve sent after me, then I die, Camden dies, and most likely whoever gets in his way also dies.” She finished lamely, and Melissa groaned.

“Us in other words? Marvellous.” She sighed, and headed for more wine, topping up their glasses, while Camden looked at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry Melissa, like Kaisha said, we wanted to hold off on this, until we were settled and we could deal with it ourselves, but, you know…” he trailed off, and Scott shook his head.

“Hey, you’ve shown more consideration than all the other things we’ve had come through here combined. And since you seem to be a good guy, I suppose I can grant you asylum, would that work? Am I even allowed to do that?” he asked Isaac curiously, and his boyfriend shrugged, and Rakaisha smiled, tilting her head.

“Did you just accept Camden and I into your pack?” she asked, strangely touched, and Scott grinned as he felt the pleading look of his boyfriend beseeching him, and he nodded.

“Well, Camden is Isaac’s brother, and I know what he was hiding now, and yeah I suppose so.” He said with a smile and Isaac kissed him happily, while Camden clasped hands with him, smiling, while Rakaisha bowed her head.

“Jazakallah.” She said thankfully, and Scott shrugged a little.

“You’re welcome.” He replied, assuming that was the correct response.

Isaac looked at Rakaisha, who smiled at him.

“So, who do you reckon’s coming after you?” he asked, and she exhaled through her teeth, looking less than pleased with the thought.

“If I’m right, he’s a monstrous creature. He’s another djinn, and he’s a favourite of the same guy who’s the most ticked off that I slaughtered my way out with Cam. His name is Ifrit. He is utterly without mercy, utterly dedicated, and utterly single minded. If you want someone found and put down, you send him. He’s not a nice guy. He’s incredibly powerful, he controls fire and shadow, and he is the best assassin we have. He’s extremely good at his job, and he takes great pleasure and pride in his work. Yeah, you can see why I’m kind of worried.” She said, seeing the worried look on Isaac’s face, and Scott sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Great, just what we need. Well he can get in the queue, there’s other bad guys to deal with and they were here first. We’ll think of something.” He assured her, and she smiled softly.

“Thank you.” She whispered, and Melissa looked curiously at Camden.

“So, did you propose to her when you got out?” she asked, and he grinned.

“Well, we escaped together and we loved each other and all that, but I didn’t propose till I was leaving Afghanistan. I snuck out of the hotel and went to the best jeweller I could find and used every penny I had to get her a ring, I got access to a few backdated pays. So I got the ring, and just as she was getting to go in my arm, I asked her.” He said, blushing a little, and Rakaisha reached out, allowing Melissa to inspect her golden ring, which was simple and elegant, with an elegant swirling symbol carved into it.

“Nice.” Melissa admitted, and she grinned.

“I obviously said yes, so Isaac, I hope you don’t mind that I’ll wind up being your big sister one day.” She asked hopefully, and he grinned.

“Hey, you sprang my brother from the Taliban and brought him home, I’m hardly going to stop that.” He told her and she smiled and patted his hand, while Melissa sighed, taking another sip of wine before turning to the two boys.

“Alright, we’re up to speed on them. So, what’s your issue, and what’s the deal with the big bad?” she asked, and the boys sighed, sipping their own wine, resigned to telling her everything.

 

XX

 

“So we now know djinns exist. Kind of cool.” Scott said now that they were alone in their room, looking at Isaac nervously.

“Yeah she is.” Isaac said fondly, and Scott rolled his eyes, smiling, yeah Rakaisha had won over Camden’s baby brother, she was definitely a keeper.

Isaac then turned to Scott, looking nervous.

“I owe you an apology.” He said, his eyes sad, but when Scott opened his mouth to protest, he held up a finger to quieten him.

“You were right, Camden was hiding something from me, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I was unfair to you, and I know you’re only looking out for me.” He admitted, and Scott sighed, and got to his feet, taking Isaac’s hands in his own and wrapping one arm around his waist, leaning their foreheads together.

“Hey, I owe you an apology too. You told me Camden was good and that he wasn’t trying to kill us, but you were right, I was jealous, and I let that make me a little bit crazier and more protective of you than I usually am. So, we were both right, and we were both wrong. Leave it at that huh?” he asked hopefully, and Isaac’s reply was to kiss him deeply before shoving him towards the bed, the outside world forgotten, for now, it was just the two of them.

He then stripped off his top, revealing his gorgeous body, and he grinned as he saw Scott start to get excited, and he ran his hand up under his boyfriend’s tshirt, then seized it, stripping it off and running his hand over his boyfriend’s well developed chest.

“You know, I feel sorry for your mom.” He lamented, and Scott looked at him as if he were crazy.

“What, why?” he demanded in alarm, after all, he hardly wanted to be thinking of his mother when his boyfriend was feeling frisky.

Isaac grinned.

“She’s the only person in this house not getting laid tonight.” He purred, and Scott grinned as Isaac inserted his tongue into his mouth, the two of them falling back onto the bed to chip away that last, lingering bit of frost in their relationship, while next door, Camden and Rakaisha made the most of being reunited in the flesh.

 

XX

 

Haigh downed the last of his coffee, which had now gone cold as he sat in the café that Isaac worked in. He enjoyed this place, but since the prison break had occurred, he had been coming here more often than usual, simply because it was where Isaac worked. While his hours were much reduced now school had resumed, he still did his small shifts, and as a result, Haigh kept coming here, hoping he would one day catch the kid.

He knew the sheriff wouldn’t approve. In fact the sheriff would be outright furious if he knew that Haigh was lingering here in order to pounce on Isaac, but Isaac, according to all the files, was the only person left in town who knew the most about Derek Hale. He knew that the band of kids that orbited around the sheriff’s oddball son were all weird, and all knew Derek and were keeping quiet, but Isaac was the one who’d lived with him, and he was the best chance of finding him now that he was on the run from the law.

The Hales were responsible for the death of his sister, and Derek was the last Hale. He would be the one to bring him to justice, and then he would see him rot in prison for what had happened to his sister when he had been visiting them at their house when Hale’s entire family had been cremated. He would see Derek go down for those murders, and then, his sister would be able to rest that little bit easier.

But he had no idea where Derek now was. He had checked everywhere he might be, at least that he could think of, and that was why he needed Isaac, alone and without the benefit of the sheriff or worse his overprotective boyfriend hanging over his shoulder. Isaac had been looked after by Derek when the kid’s father had died, and if anyone in town had any idea where he might be, it would be him. Haigh couldn’t shake the feeling that Derek was still in town, he didn’t believe he’d have fled town, and if anyone could help him find him, it would be Isaac, after all, he was the only person who knew him best.

But where would he be? It was curious, there was a gap in Derek’s records, and in Isaac’s and Vernon Boyd (another kid who Derek seemed to have taken in) addresses. Between moving from the Hale house in the reserve and into the loft where those men had been murdered, there was a period where Derek had no fixed abode, and Haigh couldn’t help but feel that if he could figure out where they had been, then he would be able to find Derek, but where was it, where had they stayed in that period between Derek’s two homes? Finding the answer to that question, that was the key, if he did that, Derek would be his.

The couple at the next table then stood up, but Haigh paid them no attention as he listed possible hiding places in his mind…at least until the man laid his hand on the table. Haigh looked up at the man, and something about him niggled, he looked familiar, but that thought was soon driven from his mind.

“We have a mutual problem. Derek Hale.” The man said, and Haigh looked at him with renewed interest, but it was then the woman who took his attention.

She was well built, clad in black, with long blond hair, and he was sure her eyes flashed green for a second as she smiled down at him, a chilling predatory smile that left Haigh convinced that this was a very dangerous woman

“We think you have the best chance of finding him. And we can help you.” She said, and Haigh grinned up at her, looking at her hungrily.

“Tell me more.” He asked, and the two of them grinned.

Kate then pulled up a chair as she and Ricard sat down at Haigh’s table and they started to talk. She had gone to too much trouble framing Derek to let him wriggle out of it now. And Haigh, he could very well be the weapon she needed to make sure that Derek was locked up in prison, or put in the ground, where he belonged.

 

XX

 

“Your dad still mad they beat us?” Killian asked, and Brett scowled as he nodded as they made their way into school the next day, all of them dressed in their uniform.

“It’s just a game.” Belle, the blonde girl that Brett quite liked and was trying to make more than a friend, said with exasperation, but she was met by hostile glares from all three boys.

“It’s more than a game. And besides, it’s worse because Dunbar beat us!” Jake spat, and Brett nodded, though inside he was conflicted.

The entire thing with Liam was such a mess. He hadn’t wanted his dad to bench Liam in their last game together, but he had out of spite, and then things had spiralled out of control when Liam had lost it. Yeah he was angry, and his dad, who had had Liam kicked out, was now even angrier because he made his dad look like an idiot as the kid who he and his son had been so threatened by was now part of the same team that had beaten them the night before.

Brett was angry, and he had been humiliated, but his father was even angrier that he had once again been outsmarted and humiliated by the same kid that he had worked so hard to get thrown out of school.

The root of it was, he respected Liam. The thing was, he couldn’t see how they had been beaten. Yeah Liam was good and the Cyclones weren’t exactly an easy team to beat, but there had been something else behind all of it. They had become increasingly savage, both teams had, yet despite all the benefits Davenport had on its side, Beacon Hills had still won.

There just had to be an explanation. There just had to be.

 

XX

 

“Jesus H Christ!” came the yell from the kitchen and Stiles ran through to see his dad wafting a towel at the smoking toaster, swearing as he did so.

“What happened?” he asked, coughing a little as the acrid smoke filled his lungs.

“Bloody thing shorted out, could have blown my hand off if I hadn’t noticed. Don’t worry I’m fine.” His dad assured him, his eyes watering with the smoke.

“You sure?” Stiles asked worriedly, and the sheriff nodded.

“Silly accident, can happen to anyone.” He assured his son, but for some reason Stiles didn’t look appeased as he looked at the smoking toaster suspiciously.

 

XX

 

“Yeah but Scott isn’t exactly dealing with the threats is he?” Aiden asked, feeling treasonous just by saying it, and Lydia sighed.

“Well no, but to be fair, we’re basically under siege here, we’ve got bad guys coming out of our ears and it’s only getting worse.” She complained, while Ethan looked at her hesitantly.

“Yeah, you’re right there, but we had the chance to finish one of the bad guys, the one who’s determined to make your head her new centrepiece and he didn’t take the opportunity to finish her. What does he expect to do, preach them to death?” he asked, and both his twin and the banshee glared at him, and he held up his hands in surrender.

“Hey, I love Scott you know I do, but if we won’t kill the bad guys, Martagh’s right they’ll only keep coming back. Peter’s still walking around free, so is Deucalion wherever the hell he is, he could have finished the Pombero but didn’t. Agravaine and his revenants, the Owlman, they’re all out there, and there’s the Berserkers, but no, we can’t even kill anyone because Scott doesn’t like it. I mean, what are we meant to do?” he asked and Lydia ignored him, but there was a small niggling part of her that didn’t like the fact that Scott had left the Pombero alive.

As they progressed up the corridor, they were suddenly accosted by a large milling group of students in front of the notice board, and to their great disgust, they just had to shoulder their way through them all before emerging outside, only to be met by Liam, Mason and Garrett.

“What’s all that about?” Lydia asked them, and Mason grinned in excitement.

“It’s the winter formal, they’ve just announced it.” He told her, and she looked at him in surprise.

“The winter formal’s ages away though?” she pointed out, and he shook his head.

“No, looks like it’s been brought forward, maybe to try and keep people’s minds off of everything that’s been going on. I wonder if Corey’s free that night.” He mused happily, and Lydia looked at the three younger boys in shock.

“But the winter formal can’t be now, when is it?” she asked hysterically, and Garrett patted the air to try and calm her down.

“Don’t worry, it’s two weeks on Friday.” He assured her, and she looked at him as if he were mad.

“That doesn’t help me! I need at least a month to plan my dress, what’s my mother playing at, she might have warned me!” she ranted, and she continued in this vein for quite some time until they reached the table where a despondent Malia was sitting with Scott and Isaac.

“What’s up with you?” she asked, and Lydia looked at her frantically.

“They moved forward the winter formal, I’m totally unprepared!” she exclaimed irritably, and Malia scowled.

“Hey at least you have no shortage of boys to take you, I’ve got a boyfriend, well I’m meant to have one but I’ve no idea if he’ll be taking me or not.” She complained just as Melody appeared, looking at Malia curiously.

“Why wouldn’t Stiles want to take you, did you have a fight or something?” she asked, and Malia just sighed wearily.

“It’s a long story.” She admitted, and Melody fixed her with a concerned look while Liam sat down beside Scott, who was looking at Malia in concern.

“Talk to him.” He advised, and Malia scowled at him.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that, he’s avoiding me like the plague ever since he found out about Peter, it’s not like I want that maniac to be my father.” She complained, and Isaac patted her hand.

“He’ll come round. And if not, I’ll beat him up.” He promised, and noticing with some slight alarm that Malia looked all too pleased with that offer, he turned to Scott, nudging him gently.

“Hey, want to be my date to the formal?” he asked hopefully, and Scott grinned.

“Yeah I suppose so. You look good in a suit. Look good out of it too.” He admitted, and Isaac grinned while Lydia put her hands over Liam’s ears, who shot her a filthy look.

“Come on guys, there’s minors present!” she chided, smirking, and he shook his head grumpily to dislodge her hands.

“I’m not that young!” he protested, and Garrett grinned as Violet sat down at their table, peering at Mason’s phone as he texted Corey.

Melody however was more interested in what was going on between Stiles and Malia. Not that she was seeking to get her hands on Stiles, she actually quite liked Malia and the two of them had good fun in their study sessions, and she didn’t want to hurt her like that. But why would Stiles, who was clearly besotted with her, suddenly pull a one eighty and hardly speak to his girlfriend?

“You ok?” she asked Malia, who was still savouring the thought of Isaac beating Stiles up, jerking out of her happy place.

“Huh?” she asked, and Melody looked at her in concern.

“You and Stiles, you want to talk about it?” she asked, and Malia did look genuinely tormented about the thought before nodding.

“Alright, come on, I’ll catch you up. And we might as well make a start on our maths homework, and we can figure out who’s going to take you to the formal.” She said, and Melody looked at her, slightly affronted, but followed her dutifully inside as she began to consider that very question, their conversation and departure totally unnoticed by the others.

“You are the baby of the group though aren’t you? I have to say, you two seem happier than you have been.” Violet commented, and Scott grinned, ensnaring Isaac’s hand in his own.

“Well, the issue that was dividing us is now over. And Camden’s engaged.” He said and Lydia looked at him in shock.

“He doesn’t waste any time does he, he’s only just got back.” She said with surprise, and Isaac nodded.

“Yeah, it gets better. He’s engaged to the djinn who helped him escape the Taliban.” He told her sardonically, and he was met by a table’s worth of bewildered looks.

By the end of the story, the pack members present were split. Some (ie Garrett and Aiden) were quite impressed with Camden and the news of his escape from the Taliban, complete with Rakaisha’s help. Ethan and Lydia however, noticed the rather large fly in the ointment.

“Wait a minute, are you telling me that now we’re going to have some other murderous raving lunatic come to town?” Lydia demanded angrily, and Scott nodded reluctantly.

“Yeah, apparently this guy’s hunting Rakaisha and until she defeats him and passes the test, he’ll just keep on coming.” He told her and she groaned, kneading her temples with her fingers, before fixing Scott with an angry look.

“Are you kidding me? Have you seen the sheer number of maniacs trying to kill us already? The Ghost Pack and all their minions, the Owlman, the Pombero, there’s Berserkers that have appeared from who knows where, there’s the entire Callavera clan, Peter’s up to no good as usual, and now you’re telling us that there’s a pissed off djinn assassin coming to try and kill us all now too? What were you thinking letting them into the pack?” she demanded, and the entire table went silent, the air so still you could cut it with a knife.

And that was when Scott leaned forward, his eyes glowing a furious red, the anger roiling off him.

“I was thinking that my boyfriend’s brother and his fiancé need help. I was also thinking that I was the Alpha. And I also don’t recall hearing you complain when I’ve had to get the entire pack to save you.” He growled, and Lydia quickly backed up, looking ashamed of herself.

“Look that isn’t what I-” she protested, but Scott ignored her, got to his feet and stormed off.

Isaac fixed her with a filthy look and departed after his boyfriend, Liam scarpering along in their wake while the table looked at Lydia in shock, and to their surprise, she was indeed hanging her head in shame.

But there was something to what she said. While they all knew full well that Scott would defend people he cared about to the end, and that he wouldn’t let anyone who genuinely needed help go without, there was the fact that by agreeing to let Camden and Rakaisha into the pack, he had put yet another target on their backs, as if they didn’t have enough already. She looked sadly at where Scott had disappeared, a sick feeling of guilt in her stomach as she considered what she had said.

 

XX

 

“Son of a bitch!” the sheriff yelled, cursing and swearing as he picked himself up from the stairs outside the station, Parrish running down them to help him up.

“You ok?” he asked, helping John to his feet while the sheriff threw a dirty look at the stairs.

“Yeah I’m fine, tripped at the top of the stairs. Why is it your hands always sting like a bitch when you land on the ground?” he mused, poking at the bleeding grazes on his palms, and Parrish shook his head.

“You could have done yourself a serious injury, come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He told him, leading the sheriff back inside, while the sheriff wondered what else could happen to him today, it was clearly just one of those days.

 

XX

 

“Jackson? Whoa…hey look I know you’re one of the vainest guys on the planet, but isn’t admiring yourself in the mirror at school kind of hitting rock bottom?” Danny asked as his best friend stood shirtless, looking at himself in the mirror, running his hand over his shoulder, his face scared.

“It’s spread.” He whispered, and Danny looked at his friend worriedly before heading over to him, and saw, with a sinking feeling in his gut, that he was right, the black corruption in his arm had spread and was now up to the top of his shoulder, and there were a few noxious looking tendrils that were starting to spread across his chest, the green veins glowing in the black skin of his arm.

Danny rubbed it, feeling the sort of clammy, burning heat of his friend’s arm, and he looked at him worriedly, while Jackson sent him a lost look.

“It’s going to kill me.” He whispered, but Danny shook his head, taking Jackson’s face in his hand and leaning his forehead against his best friend’s.

“No it isn’t. We’ll find a way, Scott will find a way. You’re not going to die because of this Jackson.” He promised, hugging his friend and he heard Jackson sniff a little, and it was a mark to how well he knew Jackson that he said nothing and just held his best friend, letting him cry out his fears on his shoulder.

Jackson took a shuddering breath to get himself back under control. Danny was right, this thing that Agravaine had done to him wasn’t going to kill him. No matter what it cost, he wouldn’t let that sadistic bastard win and kill him. He would do whatever he could do prevent that from happening. He’d stop it. Whatever it took.

 

XX

 

There was an echo here, now that his prey was out in the open it was becoming easier to hunt her down. The treacherous witch would soon be run to ground, and once that was done, he could end her threat and report back on another job done to the Kaf.

Ifrit waved his hand through the air, the various eddies and currents of the magic that the djinns commanded flowing through him as he tried to locate the traitor Rakaisha. The fact that she had betrayed her kind was bad enough, the fact that she had done so for a man, and worse, an American man, that made it all the worse.

The thing was, searching for a rogue djinn in a place like Beacon Hills was actually rather difficult. While Ifrit prided himself on being an excellent tracker, the sheer power of this small town made it difficult to sense his prey. Between the power of the True Alpha and his pack, and the power and the spreading corruption of the Ghost Pack, along with the waves of corruption emanating from the empowered and now poisoned nemeton, it made tracking anyone here rather difficult. But now he was finally beginning to get somewhere.

The girl had been here, at this abandoned house, where a cleaning lady was sitting on the step smoking something while feeding crackers to a friendly racoon. Yes she had been here. And now that he had the scent, it would be that much easier to find her. Heading off, he reached out with his hand, and smiled a cold predatory smile.

He had her.

As Ifrit hunted the rogue djinn, someone else was watching the Lahey house. Matt knew that the last of his killers was out there, Camden Lahey, the last of them who had stood by while he had been drowned by the swimming team. And now all he had to do was hunt him down and find him, and kill him to get the last of his revenge, to kill the last of the ones who had killed him. And when he found him Camden would die, and he would finally avenge his first death.

 

XX

 

“So who are you going to take to the formal?” Garrett asked as the three of them headed to their next class, and Liam shrugged.

“No idea, who are you taking, Violet?” he asked, and Mason nodded encouragingly.

“That’s a good idea actually, if you do that then you might stand a chance of going home with a different girl each, rather than taking the girl then dumping her for the one you really wanted to go with in the first place.” He mused, grinning smugly as Garrett shot him a filthy look.

“I’m not taking anyone yet, you can’t just rush into these things, you need to think about them, and considering I usually wind up organising dates for two,” he said pointedly, and Liam responded by giving him the finger, “it makes it even harder. What about you, is your new boyfriend coming?” he asked, and Mason nodded with a grin.

“Yeah he is, he actually goes here too, he just isn’t in any of my classes.” He lamented, which allowed Garrett to turn his attention back towards Liam, who rolled his eyes, cursing his luck, now that Mason had a date there was nothing to otherwise occupy Garrett in his endless attempts to get him a date for the prom.

“Well we know Scott’s out, he’s going with Isaac so obviously you can’t ask him, so you’ll need to nurse your crush on him a little longer.” He teased, and Liam shot him a dirty look, going slightly red as he did so.

“I do not have a crush on Scott!” he cried in protest making the other two laugh.

“There’s always Hayden.” Mason pointed out, and Liam shuddered at the very thought.

“No thanks, she’d probably castrate me if we went together, she hates my guts remember?” he asked, and Garrett shook his head.

“She needs a reality check, come on you were both kids, so what if you accidentally knocked out two of her teeth on school photo day?” he asked, and Mason shook his head.

“See, that’s why I avoid women, far too much hassle.” He said sagely, and the other two looked at him in slight disbelief and he wisely went quiet before they brought up any of his exes.

Garrett finished shooting Mason a reprimanding look before he turned his attention back towards Liam, who was trying to avoid this conversation with his best friend.

“So who are you going to take? Kira?” he asked, and Liam went scarlet, scuffing his shoes as he walked.

“She wouldn’t want to go with me, and like Lydia says, everyone wants to date people on the lacrosse team, she wouldn’t go with me anyway most of the guys in the school will be lining up to take her.” He complained, sounding a little more perturbed by that than he should if, as he claimed, he didn’t fancy her.

“Well why not get in there first?” Garrett asked, but Liam didn’t answer, he was busy wondering just what he should do about the formal and whether or not he should ask Kira if she wanted to go with him.

“And since you’re taking such a keen interest in our dates, who you taking?” Mason asked, distracting Garrett from Liam and Garrett grinned.

“Well I don’t know who the lucky girl will be yet.” He boasted, and the other two rolled their eyes, at least some things never changed.

“Hey was Scott ok earlier after Lydia had a go at him?” Mason asked worriedly, and Liam nodded, scowling a little.

“Yeah. Lydia might not be, I mean Scott was angry but Isaac was _pissed_.” Liam informed them, wincing at the anger that was virtually simmering off the prime beta when he had chased after them earlier, and Mason scowled.

“Ok, sure, I’m not too happy with it myself, but why they taking it out on Scott? Who do they think he is, Harry Potter? We’re kids, we’re not meant to be fighting evil on a daily basis, surely that’s the job of the adults, those hunter dudes that showed up.” He complained, and the other two had to admit, he had a point.

“Yeah seems the Scooby Gang doesn’t seem to like the fact that Scott isn’t as good as Scooby Doo. Or even Harry Potter. Mind you, in his defence, Harry Potter took a year to solve problems, all these ones have been here for a couple of weeks and they’re all taking it out on Scott, he’s awesome yeah but he isn’t a superhero, at the end of the day no matter what else he is, he’s only human.” Liam said sagely, and Mason nodded his agreement with what he was saying.

“But Argent, he’s a hunter right? I mean, he actually hunts down and kills these things, that is pretty cool.” Garrett said with a sort of excitement, and Liam and Mason exchanged knowing looks as they headed into history, deciding to keep it quiet from Mr Yukimura that Garrett saw the appeal in hunting down things like his wife and daughter.

 

XX

 

Deaton heard the door open, then frowned at the clock, it wasn’t like Scott to be late, well not usually, but that generally didn’t mean he was early, or at least this early. He turned to greet his protégé when he saw Melody in the doorway, and suppressed an irritated sigh, but hastily bowed when she raised a pencilled eyebrow in his direction before sweeping in to his consulting room, and the druid could only guess what he’d done to peeve her now.

“Princess?” he asked, hoping she would be done with her little tantrum by the time Scott got her, and she fixed her eyes on him.

“Tell me, at what point did you think it a good idea to keep it quiet that Peter Hale had a daughter?” she asked casually, as if asking his opinion on the weather, and he faltered a little, he hadn’t expected her to be told that.

“You, I don’t know what you mean.” He lied, but anyone could see he was lying about that and she sighed in annoyance.

“Deaton, I have little time, I am going shopping tonight with Malia to try and cheer her up, and I would like to get my history essay at least started before I go, which I could be at home doing now if I didn’t have to deal with you. Spill.” She ordered, her eyes flashing and he grunted in annoyance before nodding.

“Yes, he has a daughter, and I suppose you know it’s Malia.” He said, before checking the blood tests of the next patient, a rather ancient and blind cat who other than being old and blind was in virtually perfect health.

“Yes, what I want to know is why you have once again kept pertinent information from the queen?” she asked, and he frowned at her.

“I hardly think Peter Hale having an illegitimate child is newsworthy that’s all.” He said, and she rolled her eyes.

“Ordinarily you would be right, but when he is one of the most psychotic creatures in existence, it would be nice to know if the lunatic was breeding. After all, we had serious problems the last time a reckless nutjob decided to breed.” She reminded him, and he looked at her curiously.

“Did you ever find the child?” he asked, and she shook her head in slight annoyance.

“No, we never did find the child. We never even found the bloody mother, so that insane self-styled ‘freedom fighter’” she scoffed, using air quotes in disdain, “is still out there somewhere biding her time looking for the time to rear her ugly head.” She sneered derisively, and Deaton smiled, while it was clear that the disdain had been ingrained into her by her mothers, there was still a little hint of fear.

“You fear what the Desert Wolf could do nowadays don’t you?” he realised, his voice thick with smugness, and she shot him a quelling look and he wisely went quiet.

“She presents no real threat, even if she does return. But is there anything else I need to worry about?” she asked sharply, and he considered telling her about what he had witnessed Thane doing, but decided that would undermine his position, he was keeping that information quiet for a reason, and that reason did not involve the princess.

“Not that I know of.” He told her, but she looked at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Really? You wouldn’t lie to me?” she asked darkly, and he relented, actually, he could still make this work to his advantage.

“Well there is one thing, I think the grim has warped reality.” He informed her, and she hissed through her teeth.

“Of all the stupid…this pack is meant to be the job of the Fivefold, they’re British, so why haven’t they dealt with them?” she spat, and Deaton smiled.

“Well it suits them, proves that they’re right about you and the rest of the Beasturo princess.” He told her, and her expression was stormy as she turned to face him.

“Enough. What makes you think that depraved creature has warped reality?” she asked sharply, and he hesitated, he had to tell this very carefully so that she didn’t suspect that he was hiding the main facts from her.

“I saw him last night, in his beast form, and I could feel the ripples coming off him, the perversion. I don’t know what he’s done, but he has done something, I’m sure of it.” He told her certainly, and she grunted in frustration.

“We should never have given them independence…keep an eye on it, if you find out what he’s done alert me at once. They’re getting out of hand, and at this rate, I might have to get my hands dirty,” she snarled in annoyance, surveying her styled nails, “and isn’t that not just the most depressing thing?” she asked remorsefully before sweeping from the room without another word, and Deaton let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding.

He wasn’t lying to her, he was just omitting certain truths. And while she knew that Thane had warped reality, she didn’t know why or who was affected. And that gave him the advantage.

Thane had warped reality in order to get to the sheriff. That would in turn get to Stiles. Stiles would in turn make Scott realise that it was time to take a more active role, and that he and he alone had the power to end the threat of the dogs. And by merely threatening the sheriff, Scott would be forced to realise that all beasts were like Thane: murderous and cruel, and that as long as he remained unaligned, he and his pack would be constantly plagued by creatures such as them, all out for their own little niche of power. He would then offer to break the bonds of reality and end the chain of events Thane had started, saving the sheriff, and beginning to bring Scott onto the side of the Fivefold, and would begin to entice Scott to his side with the ability to protect those he loved. His people would one day be free, and Scott was the key to that.

And he was also the key to getting rid of that bitch of a princess, and he couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to that happy time.

 

XX

 

Isaac had vanished to swimming practice, and Scott was getting ready to head to work when Danny arrived at his locker, looking worried.

“Have you seen Jackson?” he asked, and Scott thought about it, but no, come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Jackson all afternoon which was odd, he was at least in his English class.

“No, I haven’t. Why, what’s wrong?” Scott asked, correctly interpreting the fact that Danny was worried, and Danny looked conflicted, chewing his lip as he considered how much to tell Scott.

“It’s just…the poison’s spread, and he isn’t coping well. I’m worried he might try and do something, I don’t know…”

“Stupid?”

“Yeah.” Danny admitted worriedly, and Scott had to admit, Jackson wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders, and if the poison in his arm had spread like Danny said, he could understand that Jackson might not be too happy with this recent turn of events.

“When did you last see him?” Scott asked, and Danny looked at him, and he could hear his heart beating faster than usual, Danny was scared for his friend and now Scott was beginning to get a worried feeling in his stomach.

“Lunchtime when I found out the poison had spread. After I got him calmed down, I haven’t seen him since.” He said nervously, and Scott chewed the inside of his mouth, yeah that was odd, none of them had seen him as far as he knew, but that begged the question, where was he and worse, what was he doing?

“So was he actually calm, as in calm enough to go home or something?” Scott asked, and Danny looked at him as if he were being stupid on purpose.

“It’s Jackson.” He said in exasperation, as if that explained everything and Scott groaned.

“That would be a no then. Alright let’s see.” He said, closing his eyes, focusing on the school, if Jackson was still here it shouldn’t be too hard to find him.

He used his senses to explore the rooms of the school, hearing Finstock curse and swear as he had just stubbed his toe on his desk, hearing Natalie being berated by Lydia for not giving her warning that the formal had been moved forward, hearing the scratching of pen on paper as Mr Yukimura marked the work of students, he could hear Garrett, Ethan and Isaac all talking as they headed to the pool…but where was Jackson?

Ah there it was, a heart beating a bit faster than everyone else’s, but it wasn’t in the gym, it was in the wood shop, and Jackson was anxious, he could feel that from here. Concentrating harder, he tried to gain an access into his beta’s point of view. That was a new technique that Martagh had taught him, using his power in his pack to basically use them as his eyes without actually being present with him, but it was only the second time he had tried it (the first time he had meant to choose Ethan who was beside him but had instead seen Aiden doing something that he couldn’t unsee), and it was quite tricky, but the Scuffock assured him that it would get easier with time. Concentrating, straining under the effort, he fixed his eyes on Jackson, a flash of steel, plastic, his shirt on the floor, the bottle of booze that he had clearly swiped from Finstock’s office…

Oh god.

“JACKSON!” Scott yelled in alarm, and Danny went white as his Alpha hurtled up the corridor, Danny right on his heels rushing towards his friend and whatever had so shocked Scott, the fear in Scott’s voice, the horror, whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

The two of them thundered through the school, barging open the door and knocking Ms Morrell to the floor with a shriek, but neither of them paused, not noticing her swearing at them in French and making rude hand gestures to their retreating backs as Scott pelted down the stairs, a frantic Danny right behind him as they came towards the woodshop buildings. Skidding to a stop, Scott concentrated, his own heart pounding in his ears, trying to discern which of the rooms Jackson was in, but it was a glint of sunlight bouncing off of something inside that confirmed his location.

Surging forward, Scott hammered open the door, and threw himself across the room. The air was knocked out of Jackson as Scott tackled him to the ground, the saw that he had in his hand flying across the room and clanging into the wall, not a second too soon as Jackson had been about to start cutting his arm off. He had tied a tourniquet around his upper arm, and had just been about to slice through when Scott had tackled him. The two wolves fell to the floor, and Scott made his eyes glow but didn’t roar as he forced a frantic Jackson to look up at him, the smell of Coach’s whiskey on his breath.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Scott demanded, and Jackson looked up at him angrily, but his eyes were slightly crazy.

“I was thinking I don’t want this thing to kill me! Stop the poison, stop dying, simple!” he responded, but Scott could see the tears beginning to materialise in his eyes as Danny entered the room.

Savouring the thought of Scott pinning a shirtless Jackson to the floor for later use, he rushed to his friend’s side, taking his hand as he dropped to his knees.

“What were you doing, were you trying to chop your own arm off?” he asked in a high pitched voice, not quite believing it, and Jackson looked up at them both, his expression terrified.

“I don’t want to die! Not again, and I’ll be damned if I’m letting that sick fucker kill me, don’t you get that!” he cried, and Scott sighed, and he sat back on his haunches and allowed Jackson to sit up, and he then, to Jackson’s everlasting surprise, wrapped him in a hug.

“That bastard Agravaine is not going to kill you, ok? I promise. I’m not going to let you die again.” Scott promised as he rocked Jackson a little, Danny watching the exchange with tears in his own eyes, his hand wrapped around Jackson’s who was crying onto Scott’s shoulder.

“You don’t know how to fix it, how to fix me.” Jackson protested, and Scott let out a weak chuckle.

“Jackson, people have been trying to fix you for years, it’s never worked before now, it won’t work now.” He chastised, and despite himself, Danny sniggered as a crying Jackson pulled away from Scott.

“Dickhead.” He scolded, and Scott laid a hand on Jackson’s cheek, which to his slight surprise, his beta didn’t shrug off.

“Yeah, I get that from you. Look, you’re right, none of us have any idea how to stop this poison from killing you. But do you really think stopping it will be as easy as taking your own arm off? And for the record, that booze wouldn’t be much of an anaesthetic, we heal too fast for you to get wasted enough for that to work. Agravaine will have made sure that this poison can kill you regardless of what you do. But we will find a way, ok? I won’t let you die again, I promise. Whatever it takes…Agravaine isn’t going to get the satisfaction of killing you. I swear.” Scott said earnestly, and despite himself, Jackson looked as though he believed what his Alpha was saying.

“Scott…” he mumbled, and Scott shook his head, looking at him intently.

“No! Not a chance in hell!” he insisted, and Jackson nodded meekly as Danny wrapped him in a desperate hug.

“And what did you think would happen, that you’d just chop off your arm and no one would notice? Fucking moron!” Danny scolded, burying his face in Jackson’s normal shoulder and Jackson snorted a little as Danny cried in frustration onto his bare chest.

“I don’t know, I was just thinking of stopping it, I didn’t really consider what I’d do afterwards.” He mumbled, and Danny pulled away and skelped him on the ear, looking angry.

“Fucking idiot!” he yelled and Jackson grinned ruefully as Scott helped the two of them to their feet.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here. I’m not going to let you die ok Jackson? Highly tempting at times though it may be, I’m not going to let you die.” He promised softly, and he handed Jackson his top, and with a hesitant smile, Jackson accepted it and followed his Alpha and his now ranting best friend from the woodshop, leaving the scene of the attempted amputation behind…until Danny snuck back in and picked up the bottle of whiskey, he had a feeling he was going to need it, before he left the woodshop once again, yelling abuse at Jackson for his stupidity, while Scott stood between the two of them, resigned to keeping Danny from killing Jackson and amputating his head.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and we now enter into the second half of the season, with new characters, new threats and new problems. Someone is going to make a fateful choice this season which will affect the whole rest of the season
> 
> But until we get to that point please read, kudos and comment and let me know what you think!


	30. Episode 7: Grim Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia tries to clear Derek's name, Peter advances his schemes, and Melody makes an intervention

Two-Pack II

 

“This is far too risky, it’s like returning to the scene of the crime.” Derek complained as they entered the loft, which for now, seemed to be mercifully free of Peter.

“A crime you didn’t commit.” Braeden pointed out, while Jackson scuffed his heels behind Lydia who had just entered the loft with Martagh.

“I don’t get why I’m here.” He grumbled, and Lydia shot him a vexed look.

“You’re here because Scott’s at work and so is Danny, and he didn’t have anyone else to babysit you in case you did something hare-brained like trying to saw off your own arm again.” She told him with a smug, sweet look, and he glared back at her.

“Well excuse me for trying to avert my impending death, it’s kind of taking up a lot of my time and energy.” He bit back, and Martagh sighed, clicking her fingers at him in annoyance.

“Spare me the theatrics, we will deal with your problem in due course, for now, we are here to focus on freeing Derek from the authorities, otherwise he will remain useless which is of no help when we have the motherlode of enemies plaguing the town that we have. Patience child. Scott has promised you will not die, and I will do whatever I can to help in in that. But for now, my apprentice and I require quiet so we may concentrate and try and find any clue that could give us the advantage we need to try and free Derek. Once that problem is dealt with, we can then turn our attention to the others plaguing the town.” She told him, and he scowled but continued to grumble under his breath while the other four got to work, looking high and low, for anything, any sign that the police had missed, and Jackson reluctantly began to start looking as well, though still looked surly about it, but he did raise a good point.

“It’s been months since Derek was arrested for all this though, you really think we can find anything new after all this time?” he asked, and the four of them then leapt about a foot in the air as someone spoke.

“I was wondering that myself.” Parrish said as he entered the room, grinning as Martagh supported herself on her staff, one hand on her heart, eyes closed as she tried to get her heart rate back under control.

“You’re not supposed to creep up on people like that! Could have wet me knickers…” she complained, and Parrish sniggered as he surveyed the room, then shot a plainly annoyed look at Derek as he did so.

“So someone who is wanted for three, maybe four, counts of murder suddenly thinks its an ingenious idea to return home, where anyone could see him, to the scene of his so called crime? What the hell are you thinking?” he demanded irritably, and Derek shot him his patented surly look.

“I’m thinking I’m fed up of living in a train yard, which she’s using for training purposes, she had us fighting with swords the other day,” he complained, pointing at Martagh, who looked a shade miffed, “one of which has left a split in the seat I use as my bed, and I’m fed up of living on the run, I want my name cleared.” He complained, and Parrish sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, I know you do, and it’s even more important now, since Haigh has gotten a fire under his ass and is hunting high and low for you, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to look everywhere for you, including here, and if he finds you, he will arrest you and you’ll be sent to prison god knows where, where you’ll be no use to anyone because you’ll be too far away from the town to help anybody.” He explained, and Braeden shot him a wary look.

“Why has Haigh suddenly gotten a fire under his ass?” she asked, and Parrish shrugged.

“No idea, but he’s been on a tear ever since the jailbreak, and he wants Derek brought in more than anyone else, even though we’re missing two child murderers for a start. And there’s that guy who was arrested for being overly attached to his horse, but he’s more of a cook.” He mused, earning him a strange look from the others.

Martagh then sighed, clacking her staff on the floor.

“Will you all be silent? If anyone has a chance of finding anything, it will be Lydia, which means she will need quiet in order for her to hear what she needs to hear. Now, hush. Apprentice, begin. Remember what I’ve taught you, focus your gift, hear past the mundane to hear the voices, so that we may discern what transpired here.” She ordered, poking Jackson with her staff to get him out of Lydia’s way, letting Lydia stand in the middle of the living area where everything had gone down.

Lydia looked at her teacher curiously, and decided that before she did so, she was going to get the answer to a question she’d had on her mind.

“When do I get a staff? You said it helps you focus your power, so shouldn’t I have one?” she asked, and Martagh smiled a little.

“You’re not quite there yet, and you may not need a staff, you might use another weapon to concentrate your powers and focus. But, poor analogy though it is, you need to walk before you need a walking stick.” She chided her apprentice, and Lydia pouted, but did as she was bid, closing her eyes and trying to listen to the silence.

“Well look who it is, my darling nephew’s decided to come home to visit his beloved uncle.” A voice purred, and Lydia’s eyes flashed open and she twirled, Jackson growling threateningly as Peter entered the loft, his malicious eyes savouring the scene, looking at Parrish and Braeden brandishing guns at him in amusement.

“Beloved uncle? Yeah, like Simba and Scar.” Derek snapped, and Peter looked at him in confusion.

“Who? Are they like Hamlet and Claudius?” he asked, and Braeden looked at him in slight disbelief.

“Really? You’ve never seen the Lion King? I mean there’s being a bad guy then there’s just being, well, a monster.” She mused, and Martagh smirked a little as Peter looked at her, slightly annoyed.

“No I haven’t, I was always more of a Black Cauldron person myself.” He told her, sniffing at the indignity.

“Figures.” Parrish muttered, and Jackson grinned, while Peter shot him a dirty look.

“And why are you here, surely you’ve combed the place with a fine tooth comb by now?” he asked, and Parrish suddenly looked at Peter suspiciously.

“Yeah we have, but we were trying for a supernatural assist, which is why we’ve brought Lydia with us. But speaking of which, where exactly where you when we were doing our investigation, we didn’t see you at all, why was that?” he challenged, and Peter allowed himself a small smile.

“I hardly think that was any business of yours deputy, I’m free to come and go as I please, because, dear Kate Argent was blamed for all the murders I committed, and besides, Derek ripped my throat out, so any crime you could possibly hold me on has long since been rendered null and void. And as Jackson there will attest, being a dick isn’t a sufficient reason to arrest someone, I just find it terribly satisfying to taunt the Scooby Gang when I know they can do nothing about it.” He purred sweetly, and Lydia shot him a disgusted, scathing look.

“You’ve caused enough damage.” She spat, and he chuckled.

“Ah, I take it all isn’t going well in paradise, perhaps I should have a fatherly chat with Stiles, ask him his intentions towards my daughter?” he asked, and Derek glared at him.

“Keep away from them, they both have enough of their own problems without you joining in. Now shut up, Lydia needs to concentrate.” He told him, and Peter instead looked at the banshee curiously, as (after sending him an acidic look), she closed her eyes, Martagh’s staff tilted slightly towards Peter as she began to concentrate, stilling her breathing just as Martagh had taught her.

Breathing steadily, she began to drown out the room around her, though not before she heard Peter making his way over to Jackson. Figuring that that was a problem to be dealt with later, she blocked the last of them out and followed the echoes, travelling back months to when Derek was attacked, resulting in his imprisonment. Struggling, she caught hold of the sounds she could hear, the gunfire in the distance, and moved along that line, eager to see what it really was. The gunfire was getting louder as she hunted it down, following the echoes to the night where Derek was attacked and those hunters had died by someone’s hands other than his own, someone who had happily framed Derek for the crime. Gunfire surrounded her, Derek crying out in pain, but she couldn’t see anything, she couldn’t make anything else out other than the general din all around her. But then, she caught the hint of something, something that gave her pause. It was a sort of throbbing beat, a pulse, and it felt like pure hatred and anger, leading away from the loft. Perhaps not a solution, but maybe the path to one.

With a jolt, Lydia was suddenly back in the room, and Martagh’s arm snatched out and grabbed her apprentice before she fell to the floor, steadying her while the others all looked on curiously.

“What did you see, did you see anything that could help me?” Derek asked impatiently, and Martagh sent him a chiding look as Lydia regained her bearings, her head pounding all of a sudden.

“Why did I come out of it, I could have seen more, done more…” she complained, and Martagh nodded.

“Yes, but that would have been dangerous. It’s dangerous to follow the echoes of the voices and screams into the past, and we are now talking about several months, the further you go, the more difficult it becomes. How much did you see?” she asked curiously, wondering just how suited for that particular task her apprentice really was.

Lydia scowled, getting to her feet and pulling away from Martagh, who sighed.

“I didn’t see anything. I could hear it though, the gunfire, when they shot at Derek, but I didn’t hear anything remotely useful. But there’s some sort of echo or something.” She mused, and Martagh, who hadn’t seemed that bothered by her apprentice’s lack of sight in her attempt, then looked at Lydia curiously.

“Describe this echo.” She ordered, and Lydia looked at her teacher with a sort of renewed hope.

“It was kind of like a pulse, echoing through the whole place, like it all linked back to that, but it was going away from here, so I don’t know how it helps us.” She explained, sounding defeated, and Martagh nodded, slightly impressed by her apprentice’s abilities.

“Excellent, don’t be disheartened. This was your first attempt, I didn’t expect you would be able to see much if anything, getting what you did is remarkable. But this echo, this could be what we are looking for, you say it led away from here?” she asked, and Lydia nodded.

“Yeah, why, you reckon that’ll help us get Derek off?” she asked sceptically, and Martagh shrugged.

“I’ve no idea, but you can sense something vital, so I say we follow it. Concentrate, you don’t need to go into a trance to feel it out, just listen for this echo that you need.” She told her, and Lydia nodded, concentrating, her head still pounding as she tried, and Jackson could smell the frustration rolling off her.

Martagh laid her hand on her shoulder, which made Lydia stop straining.

“You’re forcing it. This foul ingrate,” she sneered, pointing at Peter, who gave her a mocking wave, “connected you to the big picture. It is part of you, and you can access it, you don’t need to struggle to do so. Forgive the metaphor, but it’s like when one is on the lavatory. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. Straining doesn’t help and leads to complications. Don’t force it, let it come to you naturally.” She instructed, and Lydia concentrated, not straining this time, and to her surprise, she caught a hint quite quickly, Martagh smiling proudly as she did so.

“I think I’ve got it.” She said with slight surprise, and Martagh smiled.

“Then lead on McDuff.” She ordered, and Lydia shot her a slightly perturbed look as the entire group filed out the of the loft, Peter bringing up the rear with Jackson, malice glinting in his eyes as he prepared to make his next move.

 

XX

 

“Jesus!” the sheriff yelled from next door and Elba poked his head round the corner to see his boss taking cover, with prosecco dripping from the wall.

“Having a good night all by yourself?” he asked, and John scowled as he pulled himself up, glaring at the walls which were dripping with prosecco.

“The top just shot off, boom and that was it, nearly took my bloody head off, it just missed!” he complained, and Elba fixed him with a pitying look.

“It just hasn’t been your day has it? Come on let’s get you cleaned up. And I’m sure Melissa will appreciate chocolates just as much as prosecco.” He assured his friend, and John scowled.

“Yeah she might, but the day I’ve had, I kind of need the prosecco!” he grumbled as he went to fetch a cloth, muttering under his breath and pondering his bizarre luck that had cursed him all day.

 

XX

 

“So…a homicidal nutcase who wanted revenge for your sister breaking the code and slaughtering his family, your sister who was an obsessed, mass murdering daddy’s girl out to make daddy proud, a kid with an inferiority complex turned into a snake, a kid with a persecution complex out for revenge, a deranged geriatric with delusions of grandeur, a rogue Alpha obsessed with perfection, a wronged druid out to settle a score, and a millennia old trickster spirit that was ticked off complete with marauding demonic assistants. And all this before we even arrived in town?” Gareth asked in disbelief as the three hunters settled into Argent’s apartment, which Argent was quite pleased to see Isaac had kept clean for him while he was away, perhaps he should find the kid a new toy to play with…or a new boyfriend. Scott was a good kid, but well, he was still Scott, his daughter’s first love, he was allowed to be a little less sensible in that regard. Smirking to himself, he turned to face his companion as Natasha entered, an excited predatory expression on her face.

“Not to mention the new threats in town: the hulking brutes, the least effective clan of hunters on the planet, an overgrown pigeon, a nutcase in serious need of some plastic surgery and a pack of equally damaged individuals led by a freak with a messiah complex and with questionable leanings towards young men, that about sum up what’s going on here?” she asked, making herself at home as she sat down at the chair on the other side of Argent’s desk and crossed her legs on the table, and accepted the drink (the bottle of which seemed slightly diminished since Argent had last seen it) that Argent passed her.

“Pretty much. As you can imagine, the kids need help. Whatever we can do to help take some of the strain off the kids, we ought to do. And that also means we need to do whatever we can to try and stop the cops getting as wrapped up in this as they usually do too. The last time Scott’s dad came to town, he started an investigation into the sheriff,” Argent explained, and Gareth looked at him curiously.

“Wait, so it was some sort of duel of the dads? Bet that was popular.” He commented, and Argent shrugged.

“The kids know Scott’s dad is a dick, the whole pack know now too, he didn’t cause them problems. But since he stuck his oar in…” he said, and Gareth’s eyes widened in realisation.

“You’re worried he might have triggered the alarms of the Artemisia?” he asked, and Argent nodded significantly.

“Among others. But either way, we need to help Scott and the pack. They’re kids, and I’m not going to stand back and watch them risk their lives again and again, maybe lose theirs, and after what happened to Allison, I’m damned if I’m letting that happen again.” He vowed, and the other two hunters exchanged looks before nodding at each other, turning their attention back towards Argent.

“So what do you have planned?” Natasha asked shrewdly, and Argent smirked.

“How do you feel about shooting at some dogs?” he asked, and the other two gave him a wicked grin.

“Come on Chris, you know me, do you even need to ask?” she asked, her eyes glinting as he pulled out the map of the town to try and figure where the dogs might be hiding.

 

XX

 

The bell tinged, and Deaton tensed, fearing it was the princess. But then she had said she had business to take care of tonight, vital business that concerned the pack. While he figured that that didn’t bode well, he had no idea of exactly what she was planning to do, but at the very least she was out the road, which suited him. But as he looked up to see his visitor, he felt his heart catch in his throat as Agravaine strolled into the building, and then letting out a small snarl as he realised that he couldn’t pass the barrier of mountain ash beneath the counter. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t still dangerous, after all he could shoot fire out of his hands.

“Come now doctor, there shouldn’t be any barriers between us. After all, we can be of great help to one another, you and I.” Agravaine purred, and Deaton looked at him sceptically.

“Somehow I doubt that. You want Scott for some twisted purpose, and you think I will give him to you.” He sneered, making sure that the barrier was entirely in place, while Agravaine flexed his fingers patiently.

“On the contrary my dear doctor, I believe we can help one another. You see, the boy and his little glee club are constantly getting in my way. And you Deaton, you are an Emissary, and you are quickly becoming subjugated to the whims of the pack.” Agravaine said, and Deaton glowered.

“Scott isn’t like the others.” He growled, and Agravaine chuckled, examining his fingers.

“Are you sure? You don’t seem to be getting on with him at the moment. And even if Scott isn’t like all the other Alphas the world over, do you really think that he would go against his pack for you? When it was your silence that helped Stiles become the Nogitsune? When your meddling broke apart Scott from his beloved? And heaven knows what other dirty little secrets you’re carrying, and keeping quiet from your so called pack…” Agravaine leered, and Deaton hesitated a little, allowing Agravaine to push his advantage. He didn’t need to know what the secret was but he knew there was one to be found, so all he had to do now was find out exactly where Deaton would break, and he would get what he wanted.

“What do you want?” Deaton asked, and Agravaine smirked.

“The real question is, what is it you want doctor? Freedom?” he asked smugly, noticing as Deaton’s ears perked up, and Agravaine moved closer to the vet, sensing victory.

“My dear doctor, I know of the plight of you and yours. And now you seek to use the boy, use him as the anvil upon which you will forge the sword of freedom that will liberate your people from the yoke of the Beasturo. But while you can manipulate the boy, it is his pack that stand in your way. After all, your ill-advised interference in his and Isaac’s relationship, along with your inaction on Stiles possession, turned the two pack members with the most influence over him against you, and the rest follow their lead. Help me doctor. Help me understand the young Alpha and I assure you, my dear Deaton, we can both get what we want from the boy, and then, we all win.” Agravaine purred as Deaton stood impassively before him, tortured by the allure of his long desired freedom.

 

XX

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up, you sound like you’ve had a crappy day?” Melissa asked worriedly, and John smiled as he shook his head.

“You’re sweet, but no. I’ll head on over to you now, are the boys out?” he asked hopefully, and he could hear the excited purr in her voice.

“Scott and Isaac are both at work, terrible to have to work for a living isn’t it?” she asked, and he grinned as he got into the car.

“All the better for us. See you in a bit.” He told her as he started the engine.

“Do you want me to break out some wine? I’m a nurse I can say it’s for medicinal purposes.” She said coyly and he snorted in amusement.

“Trust me, I need it!” he told her, and she laughed as she hung up.

Yes a little glass of wine was just what he needed after the day that he’d had, it seemed like the fates themselves were out to get him today, and a night with Melissa and a glass of wine or two would be just what he needed to put this bizarre day behind him.

Heading on the outskirts road, which would get him to Melissa quicker as he wouldn’t have to wait in the roadworks in the town centre, he was singing along to himself as he listened to the dispatch on the radio, which was fortunately a cat stuck up the tree. From the sounds of it, the cat was resisting any attempts to dislodge it, and was sitting up there mocking its would be rescuers. Chuckling, and relishing in the fact that there didn’t seem to be any supernatural shenanigans going on (mind you the night was still young), he turned on the wide bend towards the town.

The car then shuddered as the tyre exploded, and he yelled in shock as the car swerved, and despite his best efforts, the car shot off the road, slamming into a tree, and his entire world went black.

 

XX

 

The path up towards the overlook, where Lydia seemed to be leading them, was difficult, and a few times Martagh had had to stop in order to get her breath, leaning on her stick. However, while the Scuffock and Braeden too to be fair struggled to make their way up the hill, the wolves were more than capable, and as a result, Peter was now dogging Lydia’s footsteps while Derek, Jackson and Parrish filled out the middle of their little expedition.

“So how are things now that Malia knows the truth that you so unwisely tried to hide from her?” Peter purred, and Lydia glowered back at him.

“Shut up, you completely screwed her up opening your big mouth. You’re lucky we’re even letting you walk around.” She spat, and Peter chuckled.

“I was merely informing Malia of her birth right, which is something you seemed determined to keep from her for whatever reason. Now it’s all out in the open, which is so much better.” He purred, and she glowered at him once again as they climbed up the steep hill.

“Yeah for you. Now be quiet, I’m trying to concentrate.” She told him, sensing the current that she was meant to be following and he went quiet for a second or two.

“Are you sure this is the best use of your time Lydia?” he asked lightly, and she rolled her eyes before she turned to face him in annoyance.

“I’m trying to find a way to get your nephew’s name cleared, now I know you’re not exactly a great family man unless it suits you, but surely you want him out of prison?” she asked him pointedly, and he nodded.

“Well of course I do, I also want to find out who is the one framing him. But as Scott refused to kill the Pombero, I would have thought you would be more concerned with dealing with her.” He told her, and she hissed through her teeth.

“Yeah she’s still out there, and she wants me dead, which I’m still fairly sure is down to you being so helpful in the first place. We’ll deal with her later, and Scott won’t let anything happen to me.” She told him fiercely, and he smiled a little, nodding.

“Well of course he wouldn’t. But something happened to Erica, to Boyd, and of course to Allison. Something is happening to Jackson, and nearly happened to Aiden as well. Scott isn’t invincible Lydia. You had the perfect opportunity to rid yourself of her, and he refused to take it. And, well, we both know you’re not able to stop every death. I’m just thinking out loud.” He told her and she looked at him, her face frightened as they finally came to the top of the overlook, and Peter smirked as she turned away from him, her mind churning away.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Braeden asked breathlessly as she reached the top of the hill, as they were quite near the overlook where Scott liked to observe his kingdom from, and Lydia shrugged.

“Hey, I’m new at this, for all I know we could have been meant to go to the McDonalds down the road.” She said, trying to ignore what Peter had said, even though it was resonating within her skull, and Derek pouted.

“I could kill for a Big Mac.” He complained, and Parrish grinned.

“Ahha, so now it all comes out, you did kill them, for their food, you savage.” He teased, and Derek shot him a withering glare, making Jackson snigger as he did so.

“You’d be grouchy too, I’ve not had a proper meal since I left prison.” He complained, and Peter fixed him with an unamused glance, holding up his two fingers close together.

“Do you know what this is dear nephew? This would be the world’s smallest violin.” He said scathingly, and Derek growled at his smug uncle, forcing Martagh to click her fingers to shut them up.

“Will you two be silent, honestly, its like leading a class field trip. Now hush, Lydia needs to concentrate. Follow the path Lydia, we shouldn’t have far to go, we’ve followed it this far, now, lead us to the end.” She encouraged, and Lydia closed her eyes, visualising the tenuous trail she had been following since they had left the loft, trying to ignore the niggling little voice in her head that was speaking in Peter’s voice.

“This way.” She said with some degree of certainty, leading them away from Scott’s overlook and towards the ditches which Malia had kindly informed them she had used as her toilet during her coyote days, and were hence known as ‘the place where Malia does number twos’. Heading down the small incline, Lydia came to an abrupt halt, causing Jackson to stumble into her.

“Why’d you stop?” he asked, peering over her shoulder, and she pointed ahead to where they could see someone crouched down in one of the ditches, looking like they were digging up with their hands.

“There’s someone there.” She whispered, keen not to alert them (as knowing their luck it could be a monster of some sort), and Martagh tutted and shoved Peter out of the way so she could get a better view, making the evil wolf glower at her in resentment.

“Hmm. You’re right. Sharp and quick does the best I think, get the drop on him. Ready? On three, one,” she whispered, raising her staff, “two, three!” she yelled, leaping into the open and sending a blast of white energy at the guy in the ditch, which then hit the ground in front of him and he yelped as he was blown backwards, Braeden and Parrish raising their guns to cover him while Jackson and Derek leapt to the front, ready to react if he tried anything.

 Flipping into a crouch, he glowered up at them, his eyes shining an ominous white and with a lethal double set of teeth. He snarled, prepared to pounce, but Martagh raised her hand, and the guy hesitated, returning to normal, and Lydia was surprised to see that he was quite hot when you discounted the lethal jaws and glowing eyes.

“Peace, we won’t attack if you don’t.” she warned, and he glowered at him, drawing himself up to his full height, and Lydia exchanged an appreciative glance with Braeden.

Tall, muscular and blond, he looked like an Abercrombie and Fitch model, and to her slight amusement, she could see Jackson run an eye over him, then look at himself critically, for once he knew he had competition as the hottest guy around.

“You already attacked!” he protested, and she nodded, her staff still covering him.

“Yes, we were afraid you were up to something.” She excused, and Peter wrinkled his nose in distaste.

“Whatever it was, it would be nothing good, he’s a wendigo.” He explained, looking at the guy as if he was something unsavoury on the bottom of his shoe, but the wendigo crossed his arms and glowered.

“Yeah I’m a wendigo, but I have a name, it’s Sean for the record. And besides, we’ve lived here quite happily for years, and we’re a family of four, and we still don’t have as high a body count as you do. What, come on, nearly every creature that’s been here since before the fire knows that you’re Peter Hale and that you’re a maniac.” He growled, and Lydia grinned, she liked this guy, while Peter gave the wendigo a mildly affronted look.

“Wait a minute, were you using your powers to look for guys? I know you’ve dumped Aiden but come on!” Braeden complained, and Lydia went red while Sean grinned and ran an appreciative eye over her, smirking even more when he heard Jackson emit a low, protective growl.

“Hey I was just listening to the Force or whatever it is I do, I didn’t know it would bring me here, or why.” She protested, and Parrish, who had been inspecting what Sean had been about to eat, looked up.

“I do.” He told them grimly, and for the first time they turned their attention to what Sean had been digging at before Martagh had so rudely interrupted his dinner, and Derek’s eyes widened in recognition at the body that the wendigo boy had exhumed.

“That’s Araya.” He exclaimed, and Sean pouted.

“That’s my dinner.” He complained, and Braeden looked slightly squeamish at that thought.

“That’s just…ew.” She said, looking away from the boy as Parrish cursed under his breath as Martagh bent down to examine the body too.

“Oh it appears as if the dear lady lost her head.” She said, picking it up experimentally, and as predicted, the head was indeed detached from the rest of the body.

“Hey put it down, that’s evidence, you’re messing with the crime scene. Haven’t you seen any crime shows?” Parrish scolded and Martagh scowled and put the head back down, gesturing with her staff and uncovering the rest of her body, while Braeden threw up into some bushes.

“Not those sorts, I watch good old fashioned yarns like Murder She Wrote, and Poirot, not this new age gory stuff.” She sniffed as they observed the body.

It was indeed Araya’s body, that was for certain. But for her body to be here, miles away from the loft and in two pieces, there was no way Derek could have killed the people in his apartment and gotten back in time for the sheriff and Parrish to arrive. And if reasonable doubt was being thrown on his connection to the disappearance of Araya, then they could maybe throw it on the whole case.

“What does this mean, does this mean Derek can get let off the hook?” Jackson asked, and Parrish gnawed his lip as he considered his answer.

“Hmm, not on the basis of this alone, but it’s enough to cast some reasonable doubt on it all, so it’s a start. Lydia, you’re amazing. I’ll call this in, Derek you better make yourself scarce.” He told him, and Derek clasped him by the shoulder, as a pale and shaking Braeden came back from her impromptu trip to the bushes.

“So really, this is a start?” he asked excitedly, and the deputy nodded.

“Yeah, it is.” He told him and Derek, despite the dead body, grinned in delight.

“Awesome, come on Braeden!” he yelled excitedly, and the Missionary looked quite pleased to be dragged away from the crime scene.

“Hey, you can’t call it in, that’s my dinner!” Sean protested, and Martagh rolled her eyes.

“It’s not, it’s evidence that we need to help try and clear Derek’s name, so you can’t eat it. Does it have to be human flesh? I’m sorry, I’ve never met a wendigo before.” She said, and he glowered.

“Well kind of yeah, I mean we can get by on other meat, particularly red meat, but it makes us weaker, and hungrier, it’s human we need.” He told her, and she looked at Jackson with a falsely sweet expression.

“A pity you didn’t succeed in trying to saw your arm off earlier, we could have donated it to this young man.” She teased, and he glared at her.

“Oh haha. What do we do now?” he asked, and Sean kicked the ground in annoyance.

“Starve to death apparently.” He complained, grumbling, and Lydia rolled her eyes.

“One it’s a mark of how bad our lives have become that none of us are batting an eyelid that he was going to eat a dead body, and two, god you are a diva when you’re hungry.” She complained, and Jackson grinned in smug triumph.

“Says the person who once turned on the waterworks and had a full out meltdown when we went for dinner because the family in front were taking too long.” He reminded her, and she wisely went quiet, well mostly quiet, she did grumble something unsavoury under her breath about her ex.

“Sorry but we’re going to need you three to stay here with the hungry diva to explain how you found the body, say you heard Sean here crying out for help and then called me when you saw he’d discovered the body.” Parrish explained, and Sean groaned.

“Well you clearly don’t need me, so I must be off, I have places to be.” Peter said, and with that he vanished into the trees, an air of malice hanging about him, with Martagh looking at his retreating back in disgust.

“I don’t like that man, not one bit. No doubt he’s away to cause some fresh trouble elsewhere, murder some dear old lady for her purse, drown a bag of puppies or something else depraved and sociopathic.” She mused in dismay, and Sean edged over to Jackson.

“Hey not being funny but, if you really are trying to saw parts off, I wouldn’t say no to an arm, or even just a hand.” He told him, and Jackson looked at him in horror, as Parrish tried to keep a straight face as he called it in, while Martagh, who had been congratulating Lydia on a job well done, suddenly tried to stop sniggering as Sean was looking at Jackson hungrily and a panicking Jackson was trying to flee to the relative safety of Martagh and Lydia.

And as he left the others to go and sow discord and enmity elsewhere, Peter looked back to where Lydia and the others were standing. It wasn’t taking much, Scott’s insistence on not killing had undermined his support base, and there were questions about his leadership arising. And little subtle reminders of their previous failures were also niggling away at them all, Lydia in particular, as was the chaos he had seeded by revealing Malia’s paternity. Everything was going according to plan, all he needed was to keep up his deadly game of whispers, and for Agravaine to up his game, and then the entire pack would disintegrate, and then, Scott’s power would be his.

 

XX

 

“So you’re saying that it wasn’t Derek Hale who you saw?” Parrish asked, now in his official capacity as a cop, and Sean shook his head.

“No, like I said, I saw someone dragging what was obviously now the body out here, but it wasn’t a guy, it was a woman of some sort, I could make out that much.” He explained, and Sands looked at the kid incredulously.

“Wait a minute, you saw someone dragging a body and you didn’t think to tell anyone, like phone the cops?” he demanded, and Sean shot him a withering glare.

“Yeah for two reasons. One, if a person clocks you seeing them bury a body, chances are you’ll be the next body that turns up, especially in this damn town. And secondly, this part of town, far from all your bright lights and shops and stuff, behind the reserve, its not quite as nice here. If you see someone burying something at night, you don’t ask questions.” He explained, and Parish and Sands exchanged a significant glance. It was a well-known fact that while the police did as much as they could, this side of the reserve was slightly more lawless than the rest of the town,

“So a woman, what did she look like?” Sands asked, and Sean frowned.

“Well, quite small, long blond hair but that was about all I could see, it was dark. So who got whacked anyway, you haven’t said?” he asked, and Parrish sighed.

“We’ll need the coroner’s report to be sure but it looks like Araya Callavera, she’s been missing for months now. If there’s anything else you remember, give me a call.” He said, passing the wendigo a card, and Sean looked at him hopefully.

“A steak dinner wouldn’t go amiss, I’m still starving.” He complained, but Parrish shook his head and walked over to talk to the medical examiners, allowing Lydia, Jackson and Martagh to approach the young wendigo.

“Thank you, you’ve helped a lot.” Lydia said, and the wendigo crossed his arms irritably.

“I don’t see how I have. And no one’s helping me.” He complained, and Martagh rolled her eyes in annoyance, reaching into her pocket and removed a twenty from her purse.

“Here, if that will stop your incessant whining. You’ve cast doubt on the fact that Derek killed Araya, which while not enough to get him off the hook, is at the very least a good start. Now of course the sheriff’s department will have to go looking through months old footage to try and find hide or hair of this unknown woman, but at the very least it is still progress. So thank you.” She said, and the wendigo nodded, before casting an appraising eye on Lydia.

“Hey, if you’re lonely sweetheart, give me a call. And Jackson, you want rid of any body parts, I’ll happily take them off your hands.” He told the werewolf brightly, cutting Jackson’s protective growl short and the wendigo then vanished into the woods, leaving the three pack members standing in the clearing.

“Well it’s a start of helping Derek at least. Once the coroner’s report comes back, it’ll point to the fact that Derek couldn’t have killed Araya, especially if a woman dragged her up here. Only thing is, once they find out their leader is actually dead, the Callavera clan will be on a blood hunt, and they’ll most likely start with Derek.” Lydia complained, and Jackson looked at her curiously.

“So who do you reckon the woman is, you reckon she killed the others and is framing Derek?” he asked, and Lydia nodded grimly.

“That would be my guess, but it’ll be a hell of a job to prove it though. We’ve still got a long way to go to get him out of this mess, and we still have Haigh looking for any chance to get rid of Derek too. I don’t know, I just don’t see any easy way out of this one.” She said sadly, and Jackson chewed the inside of his mouth while he too considered the problem.

 

XX

 

Haigh looked at the train yard in the distance, he was in there, he knew it. After all this time, he would finally bring Derek Hale to justice. Kate and Ricard had been right in their suspicions that, despite their previous search of the place, Derek was indeed holed up here in his previous haunt. And now, at long last, Haigh intended to bring him in, to try in some way to make right what had happened to his sister.

And if Derek resisted…so much the better for him, so much the worse for Derek Hale.

 

XX

 

Judge Chalmers was considering packing in for the evening when there was a knock at the door. Curious as to who would be calling at this hour, as far as he knew all the others had gone home, he called for the person on the other side to enter.

“Greetings judge.” The attractive young woman purred as she entered his chambers, and he looked at her curiously, as she was carrying with her a metallic briefcase.

“And who might you be, and what can I do for you my dear?” he asked, peering down his spectacles at her, and she sat down opposite him, without invitation, and crossed her legs.

“Straight to the point, I like that. I want you to drop the case against Derek Hale.” She said simply, and the judge was silent, sure he had misheard.

“Excuse me young lady? I don’t think you quite understand how the court system works…” he told her, reaching for the phone but like a viper she caught his wrist, the bones grinding together as she glowered at him.

“That wouldn’t be wise. Now if you be quiet, I will explain what’s going on here. I represent some very powerful people, and quite frankly, the Derek Hale case coming to light will not do us any favours. You see, he is part of a different world. As am I, and as are the people I represent. A full-fledged trial for Derek would create a media sensation within the press, which is something we cannot afford. Beacon Hills has sadly drawn far too much attention as it is what with the never ending stream of murders that seem to permeate the place, and a trial would bring a lot of other information to light, and invite a lot of scrutiny, scrutiny which my kind can ill afford.” She explained to him, and the judge, despite himself, looked at her curiously.

“Your kind?” he asked, and she smiled, and the smile didn’t fit her at all, it was the smile of a much older, much more predatory woman, not this young woman who had appeared within his office.

She leaned back in her chair, her expression haughty.

“There is more at large in this world judge than you could possibly imagine. Which brings me back to my problem. This Derek Hale nonsense has lasted quite long enough. Its drawing far too much attention, and our enemies seek to exploit it. You see, they can afford exposure, we cannot. You and I both know that the case against Derek is a nonsense. The fact that Araya Callavera’s body has just been found,” she said, and he looked at her in shock.

“How on earth do you know that, I only heard half an hour ago myself!” he spluttered, and she smirked.

“We have agents everywhere. As I was saying, the fact that her body has been found and Derek has clearly been dismissed as a suspect in her murder as he was busy being shot by her moronic partners in crime makes the case even thinner. At the end of the day, even if he did kill those three men, it was in self-defence, they had invaded his home and were trying to hurt him, he was quite within his rights to kill them to protect himself, if he did, which I doubt. And besides, the three dead men, trust me, they’re no great loss to the planet or to the gene pool, the planet’s a better place without them.” She sniffed, and he looked at her incredulously.

“But even so, there still must be-?” he began, but she quickly cut him off.

“I don’t think you want an inquiry either. After all, Derek Hale’s case has been pursued with almost religious zealotry by Deputy Haigh, who, as it transpires, is the brother of one of the victims of the Hale House Fire, and is undoubtedly on some misguided attempt at justified revenge by taking it all out on Derek. Questions would be raised as to why a deputy with a conflict of interest was allowed to so fiercely pursue the investigation.” She purred, admiring her nails while she let him stew it over.

She was right about that, and to be honest, from the start he had wondered about the entire case, especially the fervour with which it had been followed. And she was right, these murky threats she was making aside, they would be in enough trouble for allowing Haigh to keep investigating.

But these shadowy half threats, what did they mean? Who was this girl really? Did she really have that level of power? Who did she represent?

“Well now see here young lady…” he began but she sent him a bored look.

“Your wife still wanting a new conservatory?” she asked, and his eyes widened in alarm as the full weight of her question sunk in.

“How do you know my wife is demanding a new conservatory?” he whispered in alarm, and she favoured him with another cold smile.

“Like I said, we have agents everywhere. She has some nerve doesn’t she judge? Demanding a new conservatory, just because her next door got one, so obviously yours would have to be bigger and grander, and what’s worse, she doesn’t even contribute! You’re the one who does all the work, and all your money is spent by her for whatever new fad she is trying next. It wouldn’t be so bad, but she’s cheating on you with her personal trainer, who you also incidentally pay for.” She informed him and his eyes bulged in fury, he had long suspected his wife of having an affair with his personal trainer and here was this bizarre well informed girl telling him his suspicions were right!

“Say all of this is true, and I’m not saying I do believe you. But what do you expect me to do about it?” he spluttered and she smiled.

“Well, for the reasons I’ve already said, the Hale case will eventually be thrown out, now that we know there is another suspect in the murder of Araya Callavera. He may very well have killed the other Callaveras, however they had invaded his home so he was quite within his rights, it was self-defence. There’s also the fact that Haigh’s obsession over it could lead to issues for the police department as well. Now, you could do nothing and allow lady justice to take her majestic and impartial course. This does not suit me or those I represent, it will draw much unwanted publicity and put a lot of people in a sticky situation that will be quite difficult to explain away. It would also most likely embolden our enemies, which is something we have long sought to prevent. But, if you ignored your work ethic just this once and interceded before the case got to court, well it would only be in your best interest.” She told him, and he looked at her suspiciously.

“How is that?” he demanded, and she smiled, putting the briefcase on his desk.

“In this case there are two million dollars, which we attained for you from our funds. You would be able to use this money as you pleased. Indeed, if you play ball, it can only turn out well for you. Your wife’s personal trainer will be removed however you wish, and your wife the same. If you choose to divorce her, we will ensure that she doesn’t get a penny. Freedom judge, all this money, and anything else you get would be yours. No new conservatory, no more ridiculous bills like for her eyelash tinting or whatever nonsense she got last week, she wouldn’t see a penny. You also wouldn’t be hit by the bad publicity a collapsed case would give you, and as everyone would come out of the situation smelling of roses, no one would look too closely, and you wouldn’t have to endure months of investigations, inquests and audits of your courts and the police. Derek Hale goes free, where he is more use to me and mine, and my allies remain unperturbed. And its one less problem for your people to solve as well. And it would also make me very happy, and what’s more, I wouldn’t have to take any further and potentially harmful action.” She purred, and he looked at her cautiously.

“What’s to stop me taking the money and allowing the case to go forward?” he asked curiously, and she gave him a predatory smile.

“I am.” She replied, and her eyes suddenly turned into insect eyes with a glowing black brilliance, and he shuddered as her eyes returned to normal.

“What are you?” he breathed, and she smiled.

“Someone you do not want to get on the wrong side of. So my dear judge, what will it be?” she asked sweetly.

And a phone call later, Melody swept from the chambers with a smile on her face as the judge phoned his wife to tell her she was getting a divorce.

 

XX

 

Parrish just entered the station when Elba called him over.

“That was Judge Chalmers on the phone. You’ll never guess, he wants us to drop the Hale case.” He reported, and Parrish looked at him in surprise.

“Wait, what? Just like that?” he asked in shock, and Elba nodded, looking just as perplexed as Parrish felt.

“Certainly is. He claims that we have insufficient evidence to go to trial, and the appearance of this female suspect that kid you found mentioned has cast even greater doubt upon the whole affair. He says it was self-defence if anything, which is what anyone with a brain has been saying for months now. So at long last, we can count that as a win, and that creepy Hale bloke can go back to his stalkerish ways in peace.” He claimed cheerfully, and Parrish took a moment to let that sink in.

After all these months, the case was finally at an end. Derek was a free man, and all it had taken was someone coming forward and an enlightened judge. Derek was now free, and at long last they could put all of this behind him, and that also meant that with one less problem, Derek could now join them in turning their attention to the plague of supernatural creatures that were swarming the town.

“You told Haigh yet?” Parrish asked, and Elba smiled.

“No, not yet, I thought you might like that special privilege.” He said, passing the phone to Parrish and he grinned.

“Yay, gimme!” he exclaimed excitedly, and began dialling Haigh’s number.

 

XX

 

“Are you kidding me?” Haigh hissed in a deadly voice, growing further aggravated by the cheerful, sing-songy quality of Parrish’s at the other end.

“Nope. The case has been thrown out Haigh, Hale is a free man, all we need to do now is display the fact. The judge has thrown out the case because of a lack of evidence, and it was self-defence in his own home, he was protecting his own life, which is perfectly within the law. It’s over Haigh. Come on home.” Parrish ordered, hardly keeping the glee out of his voice as he hung up.

And outside the train yard where Derek and Braeden were busy having sex, Haigh let out a bellow of rage, cursing and swearing at his luck, unnoticed by the inhabitants within, who had no idea how close they had been to being caught by the deputy who so detested his prey.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a while but hopefully the updates should flow more easily now, its Derek's section, Scott and the others are more interesting to write so apologies.
> 
> One installment left of this episode, and soon we reach a major turning point, so stay tuned!


	31. Episode 7: Grim Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter continues his scheming, Stiles makes a fateful decision, and Ifrit launches his attack

Two-Pack II

 

“Want me to shoot this guy?” her father asked in a low murmur, and Malia seriously considered it, it would be rather appealing.

But no, Peter was a werewolf, and he would survive and be pissy and then he would kill her real father. And then she’d go into care and knowing her luck, she’d wind up with him being her legal guardian, and that just wasn’t on.

“No, tempting, but no. Go inside, I’ll deal with him.” She told her dad, who glowered suspiciously at Peter, who gave him a smug wave, before he headed inside.

Malia wasted no time and sprang off the porch, her fist colliding with Peter’s nose before he got any further. Peter staggered back, blood pouring from his nose onto his white v-neck tshirt, and he smirked that way he always did, appraising his daughter proudly.

“Impressive.” He congratulated as her eyes glowed blue and she let out a low snarl.

“What the hell are you doing here? It’s bad enough you screwed up my life just by existing in the first place, but now you’re here! Get the hell away from my dad!” she spat furiously, and Peter raised his hands to try and placate her.

“Malia, calm down. I have no intention of hurting your dad. After all, he’s me.” He said smugly, and she barked at him, and he took a step back in fear despite himself, before renewing his efforts.

“Look, I’m only winding you up. I won’t harm the man you call dad.” He promised, and she glowered at him, her eyes full of pure, loathing venom.

“You better not. Mind you, you probably didn’t set out to hurt Scott that night and you did, so really, every damn thing that’s happened in this town ever since is quite literally the result of you opening your big mouth.” She bit out, and he smiled ever so slightly.

“Please, Beacon Hills was a hellhole even before I killed Laura, it was only her Hale name that kept the threats at bay. Eventually, regardless of what else might have happened the nemeton would have one day been reactivated, and you would still have all the supernatural creatures coming calling. And besides, do you really think that Scott or Stiles would have survived things like the Darach if it hadn’t been for me? They would probably have been two of the three virgins she needed to sacrifice, I gave them power, I put them on the map!” he insisted, and she huffed angrily.

“Yeah, well I’m fairly sure they didn’t want to be put on the map. And not everything’s about power, I know that’s a hard concept for you to grasp. Look, why don’t you go somewhere where your talents would be better appreciated? If not hell, Washington could probably use them, you’d get on famously in politics.” She sniped and he chuckled.

“Touche my dear daughter. I’m here to talk, that’s all. Will you hear your old man out?” he asked softly, and with a look of deepest loathing, she nodded reluctantly, sitting on the porch to allow him to say his piece.

“What do you want?” she asked, sounding extremely bored and teenager like, and Peter sat down beside her.

“I’m just worried about you Malia. I don’t want to see you getting hurt. The town is filled with evil creatures, that much is a given, it always is. But Malia, these dogs, they mean business. Are you sure Scott’s up to the challenge of defeating them?” he asked softly, and she raised an eyebrow at him in bemused irritation.

“Really? That’s your angle? Your Alphaship was a lesson in not what to do as a werewolf, never mind an Alpha, and from what I’ve heard, Derek’s wasn’t much better. Yeah, Scott didn’t kill the Pombero when he had the chance, so what? In case you missed it, he handed you and Derek your asses in terms of being an Alpha, and on top of that he also got rid of the Darach, Deucalion and the Nogitsune. He might not have done it all by himself, or even finished them off, but he’s the reason that they’re gone, so try another way, because that one isn’t going to fly. I’ll admit, it annoys me that he doesn’t kill, and he could limit a lot of the damage if he would just end a threat, but it’s Scott. And you wait, he’ll find a way to defeat the dogs as well. So, next?” she asked sweetly, and Peter struggled to keep his irritation from coming to the fore.

She was more loyal to Scott than he had thought. He had underestimated her, believing her to be a sort of wild card who was loyal only to Stiles, and all the others by extension, but no, here she was standing valiantly by her Alpha. She was a coyote, she wasn’t supposed to be quite so loyal, they were solitary animals, not pack ones like the wolves. That was part of the reason he had wanted to reveal who he truly was to her, to weaken the bonds between her and the rest of the pack. Hmm, a problem, but not an insurmountable one.

“And how is everyone dealing with my little revelation?” he asked, and her eyes flashed blue once again, teasing out a low growl from her.

Jackpot.

“None of your business, and if, like you claim to be, you really are just looking out for me you wouldn’t have told the entire damn pack!” she spat in rage, and he raised his hands.

“I assumed Lydia would have told you, after all, she has known the longest.” He told her, and she raised her hand as though to claw him, though thought better of it, contenting herself with once more glaring at him with renewed venom.

“Like hell you did, you knew full well that Lydia hadn’t told me, and you blurted it out anyway to cause problems for the pack, which is a great help when we have a pack of murderous dogs in town trying to kill us all.” She ground out, and Peter nodded, a slight smile on his face.

“Didn’t you wonder why Lydia didn’t tell you who you were? After all, wouldn’t it have been better to tell you herself?”

“She was trying to protect me from you.” She snarled, and he affected an innocent expression.

“And why should you need protecting from me?” he asked, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Are you kidding me?” she demanded, and he had to admit, she did have a point there, but still…

“Am I to take it then that you’re all as good friends as ever you were then, no little fallouts from the big reveal? After all, you are my daughter, I want to make sure that you’re being treated properly.” He purred, and there was a little flicker of something on her face, and he had to work hard to suppress his glee, all wasn’t going well with the pack then.

“None of your business.” She complained, looking away from him, and he laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Malia, I only want to help.” He told her, and despite her dislike of him, her refusal to treat him in any way like her father, something in her was crying out for attention and to his great delight, she broke.

“Well there’s Ethan, but I don’t really care about him, he can be a jerk if he likes. But, I’d have thought that Stiles…” she muttered, and Peter smirked while Malia had her back turned, this news was better than any he could have hoped for.

Stiles wasn’t coping well with the reveal of Malia’s true parentage. That made things so much simpler, and once one part of the pack broke apart, the rest would be that much easier for him and Agravaine to take down. And once that was done, nothing would stand between him and Scott, and then it would only be a matter of time until he was the Alpha again.

“Well, I’m afraid to say I’m not really surprised Malia.” Peter said musingly, and her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked at her father, a low growl rumbling in her throat

“Meaning what exactly?” she demanded, and he gave her a slight shrug.

“You see, I’ve known Stiles longer than you have. Back when I first made Scott my beta, I offered Stiles the chance to become one of us. He refused me, but during that time he was driven by one thing: his feelings for Lydia. He took issue with the fact that I had bitten her, and acted as my hostage to keep me from killing her. See, I’ve always thought that he had a thing for her, that much was obvious. But even when I saw that he had hooked up with you, I always wondered if you were just being used as a placeholder, to tide him over, some cheap sex until he could get Lydia. After all, she’s split with Aiden and she isn’t getting back with Jackson any time soon, perhaps he thinks his time has come. I hope I’m wrong, but I always got the impression that he was settling for second best, because it’s clear that he has very strong feelings for her. I’m not telling you this to hurt you, but to put you on your guard, I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He told her, eyes dancing with malice, not necessarily embellishing the truth, it was clear that Stiles and Lydia had a unique bond to say the least.

Malia got to her feet, shaking her head. No, there was no way Stiles would do that to her. After all, Lydia was one of her best friends for a start, she wouldn’t do that to her. And it was obvious that Lydia wasn’t interested in Stiles that way, and never had been. But then, she had inexplicably split up with Aiden, and she hadn’t done anything about Jackson being back either. The two of them had a strange relationship that was for sure. Like if something went wrong, Stiles was the first one to her side, and he would drop everything and rush straight to her aid if she needed it. And in some ways, Stiles was the one that she turned to, if something supernatural happened, it was him she went to first and foremost, no one else. Could there really be something going on there?

But no, neither of them would do that to her, and Lydia had assured her that she in no way found Stiles attractive. There was just no way.

“I just worry that to Stiles, you will always be second best, while Lydia is the one who got away.” Peter purred while Malia shook her head.

“No, he isn’t like that.” She protested, and Peter shrugged innocently.

“I’m just telling you what I’ve seen Malia. And look at what happened between Stiles and Isaac when he and Scott broke up, Stiles turned against Isaac. Should anything happen, do you think your friends would stand by you? After all, you are rather an outsider, and with me as a father, if anyone in the pack was to get the boot, wouldn’t it be you? I’m sorry Malia, but I think at the end of the day, you’re just setting yourself up for a fall.” He told her, and she got to her feet, her mind whirring.

“Well I’m not listening to you. Get lost.” She bit out, clearly rattled, her mind now working overtime, remembering how quickly Ethan had turned on her once he had learned Peter was her father. If Peter was right, and something happened between her and Stiles, would the others follow suit? Leave her as an outsider looking in? If Stiles hooked up with Lydia, there were no guarantees the rest of the pack would even want her around anymore.

“As you wish. Goodnight Malia.” He said, trying to suppress the glee he felt, and he watched as his daughter entered the house looking thoroughly miserable and unsettled, and he smirked.

That was easier than he had thought it would be, Jackson, Stiles, Malia and Lydia were the weak links. Through them, he could break the links of the rest of the pack, and when that was done, Scott would be weakened, vulnerable and ready to fall. And then, his claws would rip out the Alpha pup’s throat, and he would once more be the Alpha.

 

XX

 

Melissa was wondering if she should go really slutty and change into something far more comfortable than it had any right being when the phone rang, and cursing her luck, she picked it up, contemplating a bloody and violent revenge on whoever was on the other end, after all she had a date to get ready for.

“Melissa?” came the voice, and she hesitated for a second.

“Dr Dunbar, what can I do for you?” she asked, she’d finished her shift, there was no reason for her to be calling her at home, but the unusually grave tone of his voice was giving her pause for concern.

“Technically I shouldn’t be doing this, but we can’t reach Stiles. The sheriff has been in an accident, his car came off the road and hit a tree. Now don’t panic,” he insisted, hearing her panicked intake of breath, “he’s in one piece, a few bruises and scrapes and a slight concussion but nothing too strenuous, but it could have been a lot worse. Since the two of you are such good friends, I thought it was best to give you a heads up. And to see if you have any idea where Stiles is, we can’t seem to reach him, we’ve left messages but we’ve not had an answer yet.” He told her, and she nodded, chewing her lip.

“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll tell Scott, he can get a message to Stiles, I’ll swing by and see him, make sure he’s alright, see if he needs anything.” She told him worriedly, and Dunbar let out a relieved sigh.

“Thank god for that, he’s been asking about you, a visit from you would cheer him up I think. See you in a jiffy.” He said, and Melissa hung up the phone, her brow furrowed as she considered John’s accident.

Was it simple bad luck? But after the events of the day, the numerous potentially dangerous if not fatal accidents he had had, were they really just the product of bad luck? They all seemed to have a sort of Final Destination vibe about them, but that couldn’t be right, no, there was no way that that happened. But then again, there was a pack of dogs that were closely linked with death in town. No, there was no way that this was mere coincidence.

Looking regretfully at the black see through nightdress and the soon to be opened bottle of wine on the bedside table regretfully, she immediately began to get dressed, while calling Scott, because if she was right, the dogs were after John, and like hell was the supernatural messing up her relationship.

 

XX

 

Stiles looked at Malia’s house. He owed her an explanation, he had to tell her what was going on inside his head, she deserved that and more. But as long as the Nogitsune still remained a part of him, the undercurrent of corruption, he could never be free of it. Malia, Scott, all of them, they were all in danger as long as the Nogitsune remained free. He knew it was just a remnant of the possession, but it was still there, that soul destroying monster that had warped him into something he wasn’t. He owed Malia an explanation, about how he couldn’t be with her, especially now knowing that she was Peter’s daughter, not until he had his own demons under control, the two of them, they were just too alike. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her, he did. And he did want to be with her, he just needed to get his head on straight, deal with the aftereffects of his possession.

“Hello Stiles.”

Stiles leapt about a foot in the air, emitting a very girlish scream as he did so, his hand clutching at his chest as his heart thundered in fright, gasping weakly as Peter, the front of his tshirt stained with blood, emerged from nowhere and sniggered as Stiles tried valiantly to get his heart rate back under control.

“What the hell? You’re not supposed to creep up on people like that, you could give them a heart attack!” Stiles yelled, thoroughly vexed, and feeling slightly relieved that his clothes were still as dry as they were meant to be, while Peter gave him a superior smirk.

“My apologies. Visiting my daughter for a late night booty call are you? I thought you would treat her better than that.” Peter sniffed, and Stiles glowered at him, his eyes flickering a little in the light as he once more beheld the root of all the problems in the town.

“Oh yeah, like you have a leg to stand on judging anyone. Especially with Malia, we all know you only told her you were her father to cause her problems. And for your information, no I’m not just visiting her for a booty call…her dad has a gun in the house for a start.” He muttered nervously, and Peter sniggered in amusement.

“So what does bring you here to my daughter’s door so late at night Stiles?” he asked conversationally, taking a menacing step towards Stiles, who held his ground, and Peter’s eyes were drawn to the silver gauntlet around his wrist, yes, Stiles was no longer the abused pushover he was, whatever else it had done, the Nogitsune had certainly toughened him up considerably.

“I’m here to talk to her. Things haven’t been right ever since you opened your trap, and I need to explain that to her, that it’s nothing to do with her. Or even you, so you can wipe the smug look off your face right now.” He ordered, and Peter hesitated a little, clearly Stiles did indeed wield a power of some description, the Nogitsune was not gone.

“As you wish. Just remember Stiles, I’m keeping an eye on Malia’s welfare. And after all your actions of late, well I can’t help but wonder if Malia might not be better off on her own.” He told him, and Stiles glared.

“You keep your nose out of her life. Now clear off, or I’ll make you.” Stiles growled, a little braver than he felt, but there was that little swirling of power around him that Peter, having long been attuned to recognising power, noticed.

“As you wish. Just remember Stiles, I am watching.” He said cheerfully and disappeared into the night, leaving Stiles breathing angrily, looking at where Peter had vanished.

He really did detest that man, he was the reason everything had changed for all of them, he was the source of every single one of the problems they had faced ever since the murderous power hungry maniac had killed his niece. Him and Kate, Gerard and the Kanima, the Alpha pack and the Darach, the Nogitsune and now the dog pack, all of it, it all came down to Peter sodding Hale in the end.

Glowering darkly at where Peter had vanished into the night, Stiles turned his attention towards Malia’s house, taking a deep breath before heading towards her window. He rapped lightly on the glass with his knuckles, not wanting to draw the attention of her dad, who after all, did have a big gun, and he wasn’t entirely keen on encountering that any time soon.

He rapped again, a little louder this time, and he was greeted by the sight of Malia peering out her window, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw her boyfriend, before she opened the window.

“What are you doing here?” she asked irritably, Peter’s machinations still playing over in her head like it was on a loop.

“I-I came here to explain.” He told her hesitantly, and her eyes flashed, making him recoil slightly.

Yeah, there was still a bit Nogitsune inside him. Didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified of his girlfriend, because quite frankly, she was kinda scary.

“Oh now you want to talk? Ever since Peter told everyone who he was,” she hissed in a low voice lest her dad overhear what she was saying, “you’ve been avoiding me. What’s the problem, need your hole?” she snapped, and he winced, but yeah, he did deserve that.

“Malia…look, please, just let me say my piece.” He begged, and she sniffed resentfully, but nodded.

“Fine. But keep the snake in its cage, or I rip it off.” She growled, and he sighed tiredly, yeah, he should have figured she wasn’t going to be in a good mood.

“Look, I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be. And yeah, I’ve been avoiding you since we found out Peter’s your dad. And I know how that looks, and I won’t blame you if you kick me in the nuts,” he told her, which she promptly did, and he dropped to his knees, wheezing breathlessly as his eyes filled with tears of pain, “ooow. I meant when I finished.” He gasped weakly, taking deep breaths to try and restore his equilibrium.

However there was one small payoff, as Malia was grinning in amusement, seeming slightly mollified.

“Anyway,” he gasped, still breathing heavily to try and restore the natural order of things down below, while Malia did rather a poor job of hiding the fact that she was sniggering, “I owe you an apology. I-I had a reason for pulling away Malia.” He explained, getting gingerly back to his feet, still breathing heavily as he pulled himself up and balanced himself against the wall.

“And what would that so called good reason be?” she asked sniffily, and he bit his lip, wondering just how much he should tell her.

“Malia…it’s still in me.” He muttered, barely loud enough to be heard, but Malia straightened up and stopped sniggering at once, looking at her boyfriend worriedly.

“Stiles, it’s gone, we destroyed it.” She told him, looking at him as though worried for his sanity, but he shook his head, turning to look at her desperately, and for the first time in a while, she saw that she was getting the real Stiles, not the veneer he’d been putting up since the end of the Nogitsune saga.

“Malia, you don’t understand. It’s still in me! The Nogitsune, it’s part of me, I hear it. I still think like it, I see something, and I think how the Nogitsune would on how to take it apart. I think about tricks and schemes, the sort of things the Nogitsune was good at! And it’s not just the thinking, it’s the dreams, the nightmares, it’s all of it, I’m still the Nogitsune! And even my strength is different, when I’ve been fighting Allison, I’ve gotten surges of strength, I’m scary, it’s like, I’m still there but my instincts are taking over, and they’re not human, they’re the Nogitsune, and I don’t know how to stop it! That’s why I’ve been pulling away from you, I can’t endanger you Malia, I’m dangerous to you, and if your dad, I mean Peter, finds out that there’s still part of the Nogitsune inside me, you know what he’s like, he’ll twist it, and try and use it to his own advantage. I’m sorry Malia, I know it isn’t a good excuse for the way I’ve been treating you, but I don’t know what to do anymore.” He told her, his lip trembling and Malia looked at him in concern, her expression torn between anger and pity.

Which she resolved by slapping him in the face.

“Ow! Stop hitting me!” he shouted, but then to his great relief Malia reached out and wrapped him in a hug which he gratefully returned, burying his face in her hair.

“Stiles, I want you to listen to me you moron. The Nogitsune might still be part of you, only you can tell if it is. But the way I see it, even if the damn thing was inside you so long that its become a part of you, then you have two choices: you either give in to it completely, and become the sort of monster that it was, that you were and don’t stop until you’ve become like dear old dad and murdered the entire pack…or, you accept it, and stop it controlling your life. You beat it Stiles, so even if the damn thing still has a hold on you, you aren’t a monster. And if anyone can make sense of the monster inside of them, it’s you. And to be fair, you’d probably do it a lot better than I would.” She told him, and he looked at her, dumbfounded for a few seconds, and he smiled, kissing her cheek softly, though didn’t wrap her in a hug like he felt like doing, just in case she decided to kick him in the nuts again, you couldn’t be too careful around your volatile werecoyote girlfriend.

And after all, she was right. The damn thing was part of him, but even he had to admit, while the possession itself and the murders it had made him commit had been far from fun, there had been advantages to the possession, like making him stronger, more confident, smarter, bolder…maybe she was right.

Stiles was about to speak again when Malia’s eyes glowed blue as someone disturbed the bushes outside her house. It was a mark of how seriously she had been paying attention to Stiles that she, the best nose and ears in the pack, had been unaware of this person’s approach until now. Allison emerged from the bushes, and Malia snarled, her claws extending, and Stiles himself felt his hackles raise, and the Nogitsune like strength inside him scent the air with a dark twinge of excitement, if she wanted a fight, he and Malia would give her one.

“So this is Scott’s first love? Got to say, not impressed. Isaac’s too?” Malia asked sceptically, and Allison raised her hands, though she did glower at Malia resentfully, and Stiles couldn’t help but wonder that had Allison not died, what would her and Malia’s relationship be like? He snorted in amusement, probably like him and Isaac when they started bickering.

“Relax, I’m not here to fight.” Allison assured them, and Malia snorted.

“Really? Had a change of heart? Realised that Agravaine’s using you as his plaything and using you to get to Stiles? Or have you just gone soft?” she challenged, and Allison scowled at Malia, before turning to Stiles, her eyes narrowed.

“You know as well as I do that the Nogitsune is still part of him, there is still a very dangerous monster inside him. But anyway, that isn’t why I’m here.” She told them, and Malia raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re that worried about dangerous monsters, why not go and shoot Peter, do us all a favour?” Malia asked, and Allison looked as though she did consider that that would be a more appropriate use of her time.

“Tempting, but no. I came here to warn you Stiles, that’s all. You need to look out for your dad.” She warned, and Stiles felt the dark twinge of power that was the leftover Nogitsune.

“What?” he spat, and she raised her hands innocently, looking at him pleadingly.

“Stiles calm down, Agravaine doesn’t know I’m here but you have to listen. Thane, you know what he is, what he can do. He’s done something, warped reality. It’s why your dad’s been having all those accidents today, it’s why he’s now in the hospital.” She informed him, and Stiles went white as he looked at her in shock.

“Dad’s in hospital?” he demanded weakly, and she nodded.

“Yeah, not long, he’s fine, they’re fixing him up now. But Thane, he won’t stop, reality won’t stop until your dad dies.” She warned, and he snarled, prepared to leap over to her and use his gauntlet to finish the job the Oni began, but Malia took his arm, looking at him worriedly.

“Stiles…” she whispered, and Stiles glared at Allison angrily.

“Why tell me?” he demanded, and Allison looked at him despairingly.

“You might be a monster Stiles, but you’re still my friend. And besides, you guys have lost enough, you don’t need to lose him too.” She told him softly, before he turned his back on her and ran for his jeep, desperate to get to the hospital, leaving Malia and Allison standing behind him in his dust.

Malia then glared at Allison, who gave her an exhausted look.

“You think I wanted any of this Malia? I know what that maniac brought me back as, brought me back to do. But you lot are still my friends, and if I can help, I will.” She assured her, and Malia shot her a contemptuous look.

“Some friend. I know you can’t control what he’s making you do Allison, and I appreciate, and I’m sure Stiles does too, your warning about what Thane’s done to Stiles’ dad. But I’m going to say this once, and once only: stop using my boyfriend as a pincushion. He’s mine, and if you don’t give him a break, I don’t care if you are Scott and Isaac’s first love, or Lydia’s best friend: I will rip you limb from limb and bury the parts of you so far apart they will never be able to reassemble your entire body.” She growled before heading inside, and Allison, despite the fact that she was dead, felt a chill pass over her with Malia’s words as Malia slammed shut her bedroom window, leaving Allison standing outside in the cold night breeze.

 

XX

 

Closer, ever closer. There were little echoes of the renegade’s power all over the place, but the main concentration of power seemed to be at the school. Ifrit considered this, figuring that her use of power at the school was the one that he had sensed when he had first arrived, now all he had to do was divine the location of her hiding place.

The girl was not unintelligent, this he knew. And it was now known that the man that she had betrayed the Kaf for (an American no less), was actually the brother of the local wolf pack’s prime beta. But while he did know this now, he didn’t have a clue where they lived, and finding them was his first priority.

“Hey, can I help you? You lost?” a young man asked rudely, as Ifrit was currently strolling down a darkened alley behind the local Jack in the Box, and Ifrit turned to see the man, thin and gawking, with a bulge at his side clearly indicating that he had a weapon.

“You can actually, and you would probably be a great deal more help to me than you would be to whoever you plan on selling your wares to.” Ifrit purred, and the drug dealer looked at him furiously.

“What the, how did you? Aw screw it!” he snapped, withdrawing his gun and levelling at Ifrit, who merely sighed and slashed his finger in a straight horizontal line through the air.

The drug dealer then dropped his gun as both his hands clamped to his now slit throat, blood pouring from his neck as his life expired. Ifrit gave the man a look of contempt as he collapsed to the ground, and with a gesture, he lifted a large amount of blood from the dead drug dealer, forming it into a globe, which, with an incantation, surged to light with a glow of orange black fire, the fire reflected in his eyes as he searched the town for his prey.

“Got you.” He purred as the scrying found what he was looking for, and with a swish of his robes, he was gone, leaving his victim dead in the alley as he was now filled with the cold malicious purpose that preceded murder.

 

XX

 

“Stiles…” Melissa said in relief as he came barging through the door, Scott already standing there behind his mother looking worried as Melissa wrapped her second son in a hug.

“How is he, what happened?” Stiles demanded in a panic, and she rubbed his shoulders to calm him.

“His tyre blew out in his car and he hit a tree, he’s fine, just a bit banged up, that’s all.” She assured him, and Stiles looked at her in a panic.

“Yeah, but all the other stuff that’s happened to him today too,” he began, and she looked worried, nodding slowly.

“Yeah, I did wonder that myself, if there was anything supernatural involved somewhere along the line, maybe one of the dogs is behind it?” she asked, and Stiles opened his mouth to tell her, but standing there, with the woman who treated him like her own son, and with his best friend in the whole world, his voice went dead, he couldn’t bring himself to admit that it was indeed something supernatural that had done this to his father. Why he couldn’t, he couldn’t say, but his voice seemed to fail him.

“He’s alright though, only a slight concussion at most, so that’s ok isn’t it?” Scott told Stiles, and Stiles nodded meekly, chewing his lip as his best friend laid a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“Can I see him?” Stiles asked, and Melissa nodded.

“Yeah, he’s a little groggy, but other than that he’s virtually fine. Well that and annoyed that he didn’t get his night off because he got brought in here.” She lamented, she was just as upset about that turn of events as her boyfriend was.

Stiles went inside the room, where the sheriff was on a general ward with three other patients. Melissa and Scott watched as Stiles hugged his father fiercely, before Melissa turned to face Scott, the look on their faces identical.

“Alright, what’s going on in that head of his?” she asked worriedly, and Scott shook his head, looking down.

“I don’t know, but something hasn’t been right with him ever since we freed him from the Nogitsune. At first I thought it was just the fallout of everything that it made him do, but now, I’m not so sure.” He told her worriedly, as he watched Stiles berate his father for getting himself into this mess, who, to be fair, looked just as put out by his current predicament as Stiles did.

“What about Malia, has she gotten anything out of him?” Melissa asked quietly, and Scott shook his head.

“No, her and Stiles have hardly been talking recently, not since we found out about Peter being her dad, it kind of put the freeze on their relationship a little.” He informed her, and she sighed.

“I was afraid of that.” She whispered as they watched Stiles with the sheriff.

“Dad, I told you what the dogs were capable of.” Stiles complained, sitting at the end of his father’s bed and fiddling with his bed covers, and John sighed and nodded.

“Yes I know you did son, but we’ve had this argument before, it’s my job to look after you, not the other way around.” He told him patiently, and Stiles glared at him.

“Yeah, and against human bad guys, that’s fine, but these guys mean serious business, and it isn’t just the dogs, its all of them, the dogs, the Callaveras, the Pombero, the Owlman, the Berserkers, and apparently we have an evil djinn coming to town now as well, if something like this is going on, I need you to tell me!” Stiles stormed, and John sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

“I know Stiles, but I’m sorry, I won’t apologise for trying to do the right thing as your father. And besides, how was I meant to know I’d been hexed by some dog, I thought I was just having a bad day!” he protested and this time it was Stiles who sighed.

“I know, I get it. It’s not really your fault, I’m just sick of the bad guys in this town trying to take out the people I love.” He muttered, and John squeezed his wrist, giving his son a commiserating look.

“I’m not too keen on always getting banged up myself son.” He told him softly, and Stiles smiled a little, which his father counted as a win.

“I know.” He admitted, scuffing his feet on the floor, and John shook his head in amusement.

“Look I’m in here for the night, I suspect Melissa had something to do with making sure I couldn’t sign myself out, the discharge forms have all mysteriously disappeared apparently,” he complained, throwing a glare at the door and Melissa noticed, giving him an innocent smile and wave which deceived nobody, “so don’t do anything stupid ok? For me?” John pleaded, and Stiles grinned ruefully.

“Ok, fine, I’ll behave. But if you so much as stub your toe, I’m sending you to a padded cell in Eichen, you shouldn’t be able to hurt yourself in there.” He warned, and John smiled.

“Deal.” He conceded, giving his son a last hug before Stiles left the room.

Melissa had vanished (most likely to scare everyone on the ward into not finding any discharge papers for the sheriff), and Scott was leaning against the wall, looking at his best friend worriedly.

“Are you ok?” Scott asked, and Stiles looked at his best friend, and wondered just how much he should tell him.

But what could he tell him? That he was still part monster? That the guilt over what the Nogitsune had made him do was eating him alive? That he was terrified that if he was with Malia, the dark aspects of both their personalities would come out and he would lose himself to the monster he continuously was trying to suppress? That deep down he felt he deserved everything that kept happening to him and the people he loved because of what had happened when he was the Nogitsune?

“Do you blame me?” Scott asked softly, jerking Stiles out of the debate he was having with himself, and Stiles looked at his best friend in shock.

“Why would I blame you?” he asked, shocked, and Scott shrugged.

“I don’t know, everyone else seems to be blaming me because I haven’t clicked my fingers and gotten rid of all the bad guys yet, and I thought you might…” Scott began, but Stiles shook his head.

“No, this isn’t on you, it’s nothing to do with you. Ok?” Stiles asked, and Scott smiled a little.

“You want a lift home? You can come back to mine, we’ll be tight but I’m sure we can find somewhere to put you.” He told him, fully intending to recruit Isaac into helping ambush Stiles and finally get to the bottom of what was going on in his best friend’s head.

Stiles hesitated, then shook his head.

“Not right now, I’ve got something I want to do first. But I’ll come by when I’m done ok?” he asked, and Scott nodded, grinning.

“You better, remember, we’ve got a pet djinn now, stand me up, I’ll sic her on you.” He warned, and Stiles grinned.

“Got it boss.” He said teasingly, as Scott went to find his mother in order to take her home, leaving Stiles alone with his thoughts.

Thane had warped reality to try and kill his father. The Nogitsune was still inside him. And they had enemies coming out of their ears. Ever since he had been freed of the possession, he had felt dirty, tainted, unclean. He didn’t deserve to be friends with the rest of the pack, not after everything he had done, however unwittingly. But he had been telling his father the truth, he was sick of constantly being pushed around by the monsters that seemed determined to kill them all. He was sick of the soul crushing guilt he had experienced since he had been freed from his possession. And he was sick of being tainted by what it had done.

That ended now. And at the end of the day, deep down, the self-loathing and the self torture, they were all very well and good, but at the end of it all, Malia was right. He could either embrace what he was, or be consumed by it.

With that thought in mind, and thinking with a clearer head than he’d had in weeks, he left the hospital, a plan beginning to form in his mind, an evil, scheming smirk coming to his face as he did so.

 

XX

 

“Boys, really?” Bonnie asked in exasperation as Malakai and Rhyley play fought, easily transitioning from their human forms to their dog forms and back again, and Rhyley gave her a bright grin.

“Come on Bonnie, we’re just having a bit of fun!” he told her as Malakai pounced on her, while Agravaine sat and watched, his hand too near his groin for Bonnie’s liking, as he sipped out of his hipflask.

“Boys will be boys my dear Bonnie.” He purred, and she sent him a filthy look as he licked his lips hungrily, but as she turned away, Bonnie suddenly stopped, scenting something new.

“Agravaine…” she muttered in surprise, and he held up a hand, stopping the two gytrashes in their sparring, and Agravaine sat up a little straighter as Erica entered, shoving Stiles along in front of her and the entire dog pack went silent as Stiles, glowering at Erica, pulled away from her, the claws of his gauntlet sticking into her hand and making her yelp in pain.

“Well well well, to what do we owe the pleasure my dear Stiles?” Agravaine purred, and Bonnie was relieved to see that his hand was no longer near his groin, but the hungry expression on their leader’s face didn’t exactly fill her with confidence.

Stiles glowered at Thane, who was standing loyally behind his master, a sickening smile on his face.

“I’m here because your pet sycophant warped reality and is trying to kill my dad.” Stiles spat, and Agravaine allowed himself a small smile.

“Really? And why would he do that?” he asked, affecting a tone of innocence, and Stiles glowered at him.

“To try and use him, and hence me, as a way to convince Scott to do what you want.” He growled, and Agravaine chuckled, saluting him with his hipflask.

“I knew you were not unintelligent Stiles. Well perhaps not, after all, you have walked quite literally into the lion’s den with no form of backup, as I can’t see any of your filthy little friends anywhere near here, and I don’t presume that Scott has approved you as a suicide bomber, so that begs the question my fine young man…what are you doing here?” he asked, and Stiles gave him a cold smile.

“I’m here to make you an offer Agravaine. Ever since it all happened with the Nogitsune, it hasn’t been the same. I’ve seen the way they all look at me, like they expect me to turn on them at any moment. I figured you had some experience with that.” He said, and Agravaine nodded slightly, feeling very much wrong footed about what had now happened.

“Well, yes, but…” he began, but Stiles ploughed on.

“Scott is too weak to lead, and if, like Allison keeps saying, I go full on Nogitsune again, then he isn’t strong enough to stop me. Derek is about as threatening as a rabbit on sleeping pills, and Isaac and the twins won’t do anything to defy Scott, so on the one hand they’re treating me like a bomb about to go off, and on the other, they don’t have the guts, the spine or the balls to do anything about me even if I do. And I’m sick of it.” He spat, and the dogs exchanged confused glances, they didn’t quite see where he was going with this, none of them did.

“Sick of what?” Agravaine asked, and Stiles gave him a cold, predatory smile.

“My so called friends. So, here’s my deal. You end the reality warping that is trying to get my dad killed. And in return, you get the thing you need to get Scott. You get me.” Stiles purred maliciously, and the jaws of the entire dog pack, and the few revenants who were in the building as well, dropped as though attached to several tons worth of weight.

It was a trick, it had to be, there was no way, no matter what had happened between them all, that Stiles would willingly betray his pack, willingly betray Scott. But nevertheless, there was something cold and dark about Stiles, there was an undercurrent of malice that Agravaine had thought gone when the Nogitsune had been vanquished, but no, it was there, and rather than resisting it like he had been doing, it seemed as though Stiles was finally giving in to his baser, more murderous Nogitsune like nature.

It was insane, but despite his head crying out that it was a trap, Agravaine intently surveyed the young part Nogitsune, and he felt that there was indeed a ruthless streak of malice inside the boy. But still, no, there was just no way.

“Look, I don’t have all night, I need a decision.” Stiles snapped, and the entire dog pack looked towards Agravaine, who looked just as flummoxed as they all felt.

This was too good an opportunity to pass up. If the boy was serious, then they would have everything that they needed to bring Scott and his pack to his knees. And that cold smile that Stiles had, the glinting shimmer of silver in his eyes, could it all be true?

“And your price is your father’s safety?” Agravaine asked hesitantly, and Stiles hesitated slightly.

“His and Malia’s, I don’t want her getting hurt either. But you give me that, then I’ll give you everything you need to bring down the pack.” He told them, and the host of dogs looked to their leader, who mulled it over in his mind before getting to his feet and walking down to Stiles level.

“Then my dear Stiles…we have a deal!” he declared, and with a dark thrill of triumph, he shook the hand of Scott’s right hand man, the key to victory finally in his grasp.

 

XX

 

Stiles brought the jeep to a stop right outside Scott’s house, breathing out in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. He was doing it, he was willingly betraying Scott, his best friend, his brother and he was selling him out. He looked at Scott’s house, the place where he had spent so much time, hanging out with Scott, with Isaac, with the rest of the pack ever since this supernatural stuff had started, and here he was, selling them out to their enemy.

Stiles left the jeep, heading into the house, hoping nothing about his guilt conscience would show on his face as he headed inside, not noticing as Ifrit materialised out of the shadows behind him.

“Not that I’m against it, but where is he going to sleep?” Isaac asked, stripping off his shirt, and Scott, doing the same, waved his hand airily.

“We’ll think of something. Reckon three of us could fit into the bed?” he asked ponderingly, and Isaac looked at him incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.

There was a knock at the door, and Camden entered, also shirtless, and Rakaisha, dressed in some very skimpy night attire, appeared behind him.

“I’d say no, but if you want him up here with you, we could take the fold out sofa downstairs.” Camden offered, and Scott was about to respond when Stiles appeared at the top of the stairs, just as Melissa withdrew her head from the linen cupboard, having found fresh sheets for Stiles.

“Here you are sweetie, good timing. We’re still debating about where to put you, but we’ll get there eventually.” She told him fondly, stroking his cheek maternally, and he forced a smile before he fixed eyes with Scott.

“Scott, can we talk? In private?” he asked pleadingly, and Isaac looked at his best friend worriedly, there was something…

Rakaisha suddenly went rigid, her expression scared. Her eyes then bulged with horror, and with a gesture, she yanked Stiles and Melissa through the air and sent them crashing into Isaac, all three of them thudding onto the bed, and Scott and Camden looked at her as if she was crazy, at least until the window downstairs shattered.

Rakaisha shrieked in alarm, raising a shield of green energy as deadly orange and black flame blazed through the lower level of the house, immediately filling the house with smoke. Melissa cried out in alarm as purple fire surged up the stairs, Rakaisha using her power to hold it at bay, but the occupants of the house were coughing, spluttering as toxic, acrid smoke filled the upper level of the house as it became hotter and hotter as deadly fire erupted throughout the house.

Scott’s eyes were glowing red as he reached the panicking djinn.

“He’s found me!” she cried in alarm and Scott, coughing in the acrid smoke was about to ask her what she meant when a figure began to materialise out of the flames.

“Scott!” Stiles cried, and Scott roared, pushing Rakaisha to the side as one of Isaac’s daggers flew through the air, the mysterious arsonist yelling in pain as the blade embedded itself in his skull, and with a surge of black fire, he vanished.

“We need to get out of here!” Camden yelled, and Melissa looked pleadingly at Rakaisha.

“Can’t you do anything?” she begged as fire surged through the house, and Rakaisha shook her head in despair.

“I’m already doing all I can, I’m so sorry!” she cried as the house creaked and groaned around them, all of them coughing and spluttering as flames started to lick up the walls, and it was clear that Rakaisha was struggling to hold the fire at bay.

There was a shattering noise from behind them and Scott bodily threw Isaac out of the shattered window, his boyfriend yelping as he did so, thudding to the ground in a heap. Scrambling to his feet, he caught Melissa as Scott threw her from the burning house as well, and Stiles then dropped to the ground behind her as sirens started to blare. There was a blast of green light and Camden stumbled out of it, transported by Rakaisha and she and Scott sprang from the burning house.

Now outside in the relative safety of the cool night, all of them still coughing the acrid smoke out of their lungs, they beheld the burning house. There was smoke and fire billowing through the living room and the kitchen, and there were little pockets of fire igniting on the roof now. Flames had reached the upper level, but it was clear that Rakaisha was doing everything she could to force the evil magical fire back down again, and without their master present to control them, the flames did seem to be receding. However it was already too late for the bottom level, as the fire had spread throughout the entire bottom storey, and was still threatening to climb higher. The sirens were getting closer, but if they didn’t hurry…

“Kaisha!” Camden yelled in panic as the djinn behind all this materialised out of nowhere, flinging Isaac’s knife back at them in furious vengeance, Stiles snatching it from the air before it planted itself between his eyes.

“Ifrit…” Rakaisha whispered in terror as she beheld the other djinn.

He was tall, wrapped in black robes that were the exact same colour as his eyes. Glowing blue sigil tattoos highlighted his skin, and he had a neat beard. His robes were also supported by a layer of mesh and in his hand, he was conjuring a ball of purple flame, his black eyes glinting with malice.

“Goodbye renegade.” He whispered maliciously, but Rakaisha forced out her hands, and green energy surged through their attacker and sent him tumbling back into his own flames with a scream of surprise, her desperation having caught him off guard. Getting to his feet, he raised his hand again, just as the fire engines surged round the corner, and with a puff of purple smoke, he vanished, leaving a terrified Melissa shaking in her son’s arms as Isaac hugged himself to his boyfriend as well, and Stiles too wrapped Melissa in a hug as they watched the house burn.

“Stiles…” Isaac whispered, cuddling himself up to Scott, who was rocking his mother as the entire family watched the firefighters begin to fight back the fire as water began gushing into the house while Camden held Rakaisha to him tightly.

“What?” he asked, holding Melissa too, still in shock as they watched the firefighters begin to put out the fire.

“Your jeep.” Isaac whispered quietly, and Stiles let go of Melissa and turned in horrified disbelief as he watched his ever faithful jeep burn along with the house.

 

XX

 

The twins were up late, wearing only the trousers they wore to their bed, playing Injustice on their PS4 when there was a knock at the door. They exchanged a hesitant look, who the hell would be calling at this time of night, it was after midnight?

“You go.” Aiden ordered, but Ethan shook his head.

“No, you go, you’re older.” He insisted, and Aiden scowled.

“Not fair, you always use that excuse.” He complained, and he went towards the door, Ethan following in his wake anxiously, the two of them exchanging a last, sceptical look before Aiden opened the door.

On the other side of the door stood six dishevelled looking people. Scott, Isaac and Camden were only wearing their jeans, and their bare chests were marred with soot. Stiles was still fully clothed, but he too was covered with soot, and his expression was one of unfathomable rage. Rakaisha was standing beside Camden, looking guilt stricken, her entire body shaking, Camden squeezing her hand reassuringly, her skimpy night clothes having smouldered slightly. And Melissa stood in the centre of them all, her face also marked with soot, tear tracks having cleared lines down her face, her clothes marked with ash and there was plaster in her hair, and above all else, all of them reeking of fire and dampness.

It was Scott who talked.

“Hey, can we ask a favour?” he whispered sadly as the twins looked at each other in horror and quickly ushered them inside.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surely Stiles isnt going to betray Scott? Hopefully it wont be too long till the next chapter, as we have things hotting up, as we get to the winter formal, Agravaine shows his true evil next episode, and things now start to head to the end of the season  
> Until next time though please kudos and comment!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm back and this is the start of my version of season four, so hope you all enjoy!  
> This is just a little cast list to help you as we go through the story, obviously there are still some people missing who havent been announced for the show yet but I hope you approve of all the other choices and stars!  
> I also hope you like the opening credits, as you can probably see, fire plays a big role this season  
> So anyway, this is the start of season four, hope you enjoy, so kudos and comments are highly appreciated!


End file.
